UN pushes emergency plan for Cuba aid amid US talks
March 26, 2026
The United Nations has proposed an "action plan" for crisis-hit Cuba, which involves tracking fuel use, amid talks with the US to allow energy resources for humanitarian aid, an official said on Wednesday.
A $94.1-million (€81.4-million) plan was proposed to keep critical services running for the country's most vulnerable, said Francisco Pichon, the UN coordinator in Cuba.
Why is Cuba facing a fuel shortage?
"If the current situation continues and the country's fuel reserves are exhausted, we do fear a rapid deterioration, with the potential loss of life," he told reporters.
"The feasibility and implementation of this action plan obviously depend on fuel solutions," he added.
In late January, Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba while pushing for a change in the island's political model. The effective blockade deepened the island nation's energy and economic crisis.
It has affected Cuba's power sector, tourism, airlines and even basic civic functions such as sanitation. The UN earlier reported that lack of power and fuel had even led to thousands of canceled surgeries and poorer air quality as people burn wood to cook food.
The UN has been in talks with Washington to allow fuel to aid humanitarian purposes.
Pischon said the proposed plan includes a "fuel tracibility model" to "try to reach an agreement, a pathway to gain access to fuel."
US in early talks with Cuban leaders
Washington and Havana are in early stages of talks, said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday, adding that even former Cuban leader Raul Castro had been involved.
Diaz-Canel discussed Castro's involvement in an interview with Spanish leftist leader Pablo Iglesias, published on state media.
"First, we must build a channel for dialogue. Then, we must build common agendas of interests for the parties, and the parties must demonstrate their intention to move forward and truly commit to the program based on the discussion of those agendas," Díaz-Canel told Iglesias.
The Trump administration demands that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in exchange for an end to the blockade.
Trump has made no secret of his desire for regime change in Cuba, and has also raised the possibility of a "friendly takeover" of the island. More recently, he said he'd have "the honor of taking Cuba, soon."
Raul Castro, the 94-year-old brother of Fidel Castro, is still considered one of the most powerful individuals in the nation.
When asked if Castro would have a role in the overture, Diaz-Canel said: "The other thing they've tried to speculate about is that there are divisions within the leadership of the revolution," he said.
Castro "is one of those who, along with me and in collaboration with other branches of the [Communist] Party, the government, and the State, has guided how we should conduct this dialogue process, if this dialogue process takes place,” the president added.
Mexico to uphold Cuban doctor agreement
In other Cuba news, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday said it would uphold a bilateral agreement with the island nation that allows its doctors to work in Mexico.
"It's a bilateral agreement that helps Mexico a lot," Sheinbaum told reporters.
This comes even as other countries in the region have ditched their agreements, buckling under mounting US pressure. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — himself born in the US to Cuban parents — has called it a "form of human trafficking."
In response to Sheinbaum, the White House pointed to Rubio's statement from June 2025 when the US announced restrictions for Central American officials with ties to Cuba's "forced labor scheme."
Edited by: Alex Berry