Canada prepares aid package for Cuba as it faces fuel shortages worsened by US oil embargo

TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced Monday that it is working on an aid package for Cuba as it faces blackouts and severe fuel shortages worsened by a U.S oil embargo.

Foreign Minister Anita Anand declined to give details beyond that.

“We are preparing a plan to assist. We are not prepared at this point to provide any details of the announcement,” Anand said.

Cuba is facing an increasingly dire energy crisis that has heightened in recent weeks after oil shipments from Venezuela, its main oil supplier, were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its leader. Mexico, another major supplier, then also suspended oil shipments under U.S. pressure.

Air Canada and other airlines have canceled flights to the Caribbean island because of a shortage of aviation fuel on the island.

Canadian tourism is vital to Cuba’s economy. Global Affairs Canada, a governmental office, has said Canada is Cuba’s second-largest source of direct investment to the island, particularly in the mining and tourism sectors.

Canada would join Mexico in providing aid.

Two Mexican Navy ships laden with humanitarian aid docked in Cuba earlier this month, two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to the island, deepening an already severe economic and energy crisis in the Caribbean nation. The ships brought about 800 tons of goods, and another 1,500 tons of powdered milk and beans.

The economic crisis gripping Cuba since 2020 has been compounded by intensified U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing a change in the island’s political model. These pressures led to critical shortages and severe blackouts that peaked in early 2026.

Because Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel, it remains highly vulnerable to external blockades. While strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, their support has remained largely symbolic thus far.

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