HAVANA (AP) — Cuba held recent talks with the U.S. government, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday, marking the first time that the Caribbean country confirmed such speculation as it grapples with a severe energy crisis.
Díaz-Canel said in a speech that the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges.”
He didn't elaborate on those factors, or provide any details about the talks.
The White House didn’t return an immediate request for comment on the talks with Cuba.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top aides met late last month in the Caribbean with the grandson of retired Cuban leader Raul Castro, two U.S. officials said Friday shortly after Díaz-Canel spoke.
The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said that Rubio had met secretly with Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community leaders meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis.
At the time, Rubio refused to say who, if anyone, he was speaking with in or close to the Cuban government.
Cuba's president said that no petroleum shipments have arrived on the island in the past three months, which he blamed on a U.S. energy blockade. He said that Cuba is running on natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants, and that the depletion of fuel oil and diesel forced two power plants to shut down and has limited the generation of power at solar parks.
Cuba’s western region was hit by a major blackout last week, leaving millions without power.
He said that Cuba, which produces 40% of its petroleum, has been generating its own power, but that it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand. The lack of power has affected communications, education and transportation, and the government has had to postpone surgeries for tens of thousands of people as a result, he said.
“The impact is tremendous,” Díaz-Canel said.
More than 115 bakeries across the island have been converted to run on firewood or coal, he said. According to Díaz-Canel, 955 solar panels have been installed in rural homes and social centers, and more solar systems will come online before the end of March that will add 100 megawatts to Cuba’s crumbling electric grid.
“Even with everything we’re putting together, we still need oil,” he said, adding that production output also has dropped.
“Without energy, no country can produce at normal levels," he said. "All of this has meant making adjustments to employment.”
Last month, Cuba implemented austere fuel-saving measures.
Cubans were transfixed to TVs as they watched the president's announcement about the U.S. discussions, with some cheering the development.
“Cubans are desperate," said Elvis Hernández, 62. "You can’t live without water or electricity. That’s why we want a consensus to be reached. If there are talks, let them be productive. Let them achieve something good through those conversations.”
‘At the end of the line’
Díaz-Canel said that the purpose of the talks was to identify “bilateral problems that require solutions based on their severity and impact” and find solutions to them.
He said that the aim was “to determine the willingness of both parties to take concrete actions for the benefit of the people of both countries. And in addition, to identify areas of cooperation to confront threats and guarantee the security and peace of both nations, as well as in the region.”
He said that Cuba is willing to carry out the process on the basis of equality and respect for the countries’ political systems and for Cuba’s “sovereignty and self-determination.”
Miguel García, 65, was among those celebrating the news.
“If all of this leads to agreements and solutions that will improve our lives, then all the better, because the situation is quite difficult right now," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has, on several occasions, alluded to his administration’s discussions with Cuba. He said during a Jan. 11 exchange with reporters that the U.S. is “talking to Cuba,” and has referred to those talks multiple times since.
“This dialogue is essential,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday, referring to the Cuban-American dialogue that she has always advocated. When asked specifically if Mexico played any role that led to the talks, Sheinbaum was cautious: “Let’s say we’ve promoted dialogue with both U.S. and Cuban authorities."
She said her government continues to explore alternatives for sending oil to Cuba and that “Mexico will continue to support the Cuban people in every way possible."
The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment on Díaz-Canel’s announcement.
The agency has weighed potentially drawing down staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana as the fuel shortages caused by the American blockade could affect day-to-day diplomatic operations, according to the U.S. officials.
The officials said the department could order the departure of nonessential staff if the mission isn’t able to improve the flow of diesel needed to keep generators running. The officials stressed that there is still time to solve the problem and that the embassy and State Departments were looking at potential solutions.
One official said a possible solution would be for the embassy to import the diesel on its own from a private company, which would require Cuban government approval.
A reduction in staffing at the Havana embassy would likely lead to a U.S. demand for a similar reduction in staffing at Havana’s embassy in Washington, the official said.
A warning
Critical oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country and arrested then President Nicolás Maduro.
Since then, Trump and his top administration officials have been warning Cuba of a similar fate.
Trump told a gathering of Latin America leaders in Florida last week that Cuba is “very much at the end of the line” and that he was looking forward to “great change” coming soon to the island.
“They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time,” Trump said. “And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don’t have any money from Venezuela.”
The most recent blackout was blamed on a broken boiler at a thermoelectric plant that forced the shutdown of Cuba's power grid.
Authorities have noted that some thermoelectric plants have been operating for more than three decades and receive little maintenance given the high cost. U.S. sanctions also have prevented the government from buying new equipment and specialized parts, officials say.
FBI visit
After his speech, Díaz-Canel took questions from a select group of state reporters.
The questions focused mostly on Cuba’s deepening crises, but one reporter asked about the recent shooting of a Florida-flagged boat in Cuban waters in which four of 10 Cubans from the U.S. were killed after the government accused them of opening fire on local troops.
A fifth suspect later died from his injuries, according to the Cuban government.
Díaz-Canel said that FBI officials would visit Cuba soon as both countries continue to share information on the incident.
The five other suspects have been detained and face terrorism charges.
Díaz-Canel spoke just a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it would release 51 prisoners in a move that stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican.
“It is a sovereign practice, no one imposes it on us,” Díaz-Canel said of the upcoming release. “It responds to our humanistic vocation."
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Coto reported from San José, Costa Rica; Lee and Madhani from Washington. Ariel Fernández in Havana; Seung Min Kim in Washington; and María Verza in Mexico City, contributed to this report.