The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering imposing a complete blockade of oil imports to Cuba as one of the tools of pressure to change the regime in the country.
Three sources familiar with the discussions told Politico about this.
According to them, this measure has not yet been approved, but is included among the options that could be used to overthrow the communist government of Cuba.
According to two of the three sources, the initiative is being actively promoted by critics of the Cuban government within the administration and has received the support of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At the same time, there is a debate within the White House about the feasibility of such a radical step.
The loss of Venezuelan oil supplies, as well as the loss of income from the resale of part of these volumes, which Havana used to obtain foreign currency, has already seriously weakened the Cuban economy. According to opponents of the full embargo, an additional cutoff of oil imports could lead to a humanitarian crisis on the island.
But the discussions themselves demonstrate how deeply the Trump administration is committed to removing governments in Latin America that Washington considers hostile, Politico notes.
One of the publication's interlocutors called energy a "stranglehold" that could lead to the fall of the regime in Cuba. He also said that in the White House's playbook, the overthrow of the Cuban leadership, which has been in power since the 1959 revolution, is seen as "100 percent a 2026 event."
These actions, the source said, could be justified by the provisions of the 1994 LIBERTAD Act, better known as the Helms-Burton Act, which enshrines the US trade and financial embargo against Cuba.
The idea of completely blocking Cuba's access to oil has already been publicly supported by hawkish Republicans
"Not a cent, not an ounce of oil. Nothing should ever go to Cuba," said Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott.
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