Trump Aims to Steer Cuba Toward Greater Dependence on the US (1)

Feb. 26, 2026, 8:55 PM UTC

The Trump administration’s move to ease fuel shipments to Cuba’s nascent private sector is part of a plan to make the island more reliant on the US for supplies, increasing Washington’s leverage to bring about political and economic change, according to people familiar with the strategy.

A quarantine on sending crude to Cuba brought the Caribbean nation to the verge of a humanitarian crisis since the US captured Venezuela’s leader and scared off Mexico with tariffs. The energy crunch is expected to force the government in Havana to accept oil under US conditions, giving the Trump administration a way to ...

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