Cuba's government has confirmed that a meeting with US representatives took place recently in Havana, marking the latest sign of cautious diplomatic engagement between the two countries as the Caribbean island endures a severe energy crisis triggered by Washington's blockade of oil supplies. Alejandro García del Toro, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director general for US affairs, told the official state newspaper Granma on Monday that the talks set no "deadlines" or "ultimatums" — directly contradicting accounts published in American media — and that Cuba had pressed the US delegation to lift the energy blockade imposed by the Trump administration since January.

The visit, which took place on April 10, included the first US government flight to Havana outside the Guantánamo Bay naval base since 2016. A senior State Department official met with a grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro during the trip, according to reports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not part of the delegation, though officials indicated he had met the younger Castro in St. Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean island nation, in February. According to the news site Axios, which first revealed the visit, the US side pressed Havana to compensate American residents and companies whose assets were confiscated after the 1959 revolution, release political prisoners, and move toward democratic governance and free elections.

Cuba's energy crisis has worsened dramatically since a US military intervention in Venezuela in January cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to the island. Cuba produces only around 40% of the crude it needs domestically. A Trump executive order imposing tariffs on any government attempting to deliver oil to Cuba effectively severed most foreign supply; Mexico suspended shipments under US pressure, though it sent two ships carrying humanitarian aid in February. The first significant relief came on March 30, when a Russian tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude docked in Havana — the first shipment in three months — with Russia promising a second delivery at an unconfirmed date.

The humanitarian toll has been severe. The UN Human Rights Office has warned that the blockade threatens food supplies, has disrupted water systems, and has paralysed hospitals. Schools and universities have been closed, public transport severely restricted, and rubbish piled up in Havana's streets due to fuel shortages. Eastern provinces experienced a total blackout in February. As a gesture ahead of the talks, Cuba released more than 2,000 prisoners on April 3, having previously agreed to free 51 political prisoners. Washington is also reported to have set a deadline for Havana to release several high-profile political detainees, though it remains unclear what consequences would follow if Cuba did not comply.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel, whose leadership has reportedly drawn criticism even from within circles close to the Castro family, struck a defiant tone on Thursday during ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of Cuba's socialist declaration. "Cuba is not a failed state. Cuba is a besieged state," he said, adding that the island was prepared to face "serious threats, including military aggression," while stressing it did not seek conflict. Trump has repeatedly stated that Cuba is "next" on his list of governments to confront. Analysts note that while Cuba has previously negotiated from a position of relative choice — as during the brief diplomatic thaw of the Obama era — the depth of the current crisis appears to have left Havana with far less room to manoeuvre.