Cubas Diaz-Canel considers US aid amid worsening fuel crisis and power outages

US Offers $100m in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba with Conditions

A US delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday. The meeting came after the US offered $100m in humanitarian aid to Cuba.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel suggested that Havana would accept the aid if it is delivered according to internationally recognized practices. However, he added that lifting the trade embargo on the island would be a more effective way to alleviate suffering among the Cuban people.

Diaz-Canel made these comments in a social media post on Thursday, one day after the US announced its humanitarian aid offer. The aid comes with conditions, including the requirement for Cuba’s government to institute “meaningful reforms”.

The US State Department stated that it had been negotiating with the Cuban government to make this offer. The department said that the decision to accept or reject the aid rests with the Cuban regime.

Cuba has been under a comprehensive trade embargo from the US since the 1960s. The island’s energy crisis has worsened in recent months, leading to widespread blackouts and shortages of basic supplies such as fuel, food, and medicines.

The Trump administration has signaled its goal is to see regime change in Havana, where communist leaders have been accused of violent repression. The US Department of State stated that it had been negotiating with the Cuban government to offer aid in exchange for government reform.

A meeting between a US delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Cuban officials took place on Thursday.

Source: Al Jazeera