Cuba's power grid collapses amid US oil blockade as Trump threatens to 'take' the island

Cuba's national electricity grid collapsed on May 18, 2026, leaving millions of the island's 10 million residents without power after the United States imposed an oil blockade that prevented any deliveries for three months. The US disrupted Cuba's oil supplies from Venezuela following a January 2026 military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro, and threatened tariffs on other nations exporting oil to Cuba. President Donald Trump publicly mused about a "friendly takeover" of Cuba while the crisis unfolded, declining to rule out military action. The energy crisis has triggered emergency measures including reduced school hours, fuel rationing at $9 per liter on black markets, hospital service cuts, and rare anti-government protests including an attack on a Communist Party office in Morón on May 16, 2026.

Cuba nationwide power grid collapse

• ▪Service had been restored in the western and central-eastern regions of Cuba after some power plants were reconnected following the May 18, 2026 collapse
• ▪By May 19, 2026, power had returned to roughly 55% of customers in Havana and all health centers across the capital
• ▪Cuba's state-owned grid operator reported no faults were detected in the electrical units operating at the time Cuba's grid collapsed on May 18, 2026
• ▪Cuba's electricity grid suffered a nationwide collapse on May 18, 2026

US oil blockade sanctions

• ▪Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated in response to the May 18, 2026 blackout that officials in the US government must be feeling very happy by the harm caused to every Cuban family
• ▪The United States disrupted Cuba's oil supplies from Venezuela following the American military operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power in early January 2026
• ▪US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 19, 2026 that the US embargo against Cuba is tied to political change on the island and is codified in law
• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated on May 15, 2026 that no oil had been delivered to Cuba in the last three months

Trump Cuba takeover threats

• ▪US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 19, 2026 that Cuba needs new leadership because the people in charge don't know how to fix the country's problems
• ▪US President Donald Trump stated on May 18, 2026 that he has been hearing about when the United States will have the "honor of taking Cuba."
• ▪Donald Trump declined to specify on May 18, 2026 whether a US military operation in Cuba would mirror the January 2026 capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela or the United States' continued military conflict with Iran
• ▪Donald Trump stated on May 18, 2026 that he thinks he can do anything he wants with Cuba, whether freeing it or taking it
• ▪Donald Trump stated that Cuba is in "deep trouble" and that the United States may or may not be a part of a "friendly takeover" of the country

Cuban government emergency measures

• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated on May 15, 2026 that Cuban officials have held talks with the United States to "identify the bilateral problems that need a solution."

Humanitarian crisis daily disruption

• ▪Fuel prices in Cuba have reached as much as $9 per liter on the unofficial market, meaning it costs more than $300 to fill up a car's gas tank
• ▪Residents of the central Cuban city of Morón took to the streets on May 16, 2026 to protest problems with the electricity supply and access to food
• ▪Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Cuba due to a shortage of aviation fuel on the island, with the pause in service expected to last until November 1, 2026
• ▪American Airlines, Delta, and Jet Blue have halted services to Cuba

Perspective of Cuban government

• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel attributed Cuba's energy crisis to the United States blocking oil deliveries for three months as of May 15, 2026

Perspective of United States government

• ▪US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 19, 2026 that Cuba's leadership is incapable of fixing the country's problems and needs to be replaced