Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the only Russian ship that arrived in Cuba represents only a third of the fuel that the island needs in a month, enough to meet energy demands for approximately 10 days.
The Cuban leader made these statements in an exclusive interview granted to Brazilian journalist Breno Altman for the program "20 Minutes" of Opera Mundi, published last Monday.
"That ship that arrived with 700 was an operation that is normal anywhere in the world, it became the most followed and famous oil ship in international history," Díaz-Canel stated, before clarifying that the cargo "does not solve all our problems, but it gives us the fuel we need. One third of what we need in a month."
The Cuban leader described the gesture from Moscow as mainly symbolic: "This is a gesture that carries a lot of symbolism, which at such a complicated moment the Russian Federation is offering in support of Cuba."
He also confirmed that the shipment was a free donation: "What arrived now is a donation from the Federation of Russia, which is a tremendous gesture of support."
The Russian crude had to be refined before it could be used, and Díaz-Canel explained that from its processing, Cuba would have access to diesel, fuel, gasoline, and some liquefied gas.
"With that, we can meet the needs for about 10 days," he specified, adding that the fuel will allow for the reactivation of more than 100 MW of distributed electric generation that had been inactive, which will alleviate blackouts, especially during nighttime.
The context surrounding this report is of extreme severity. Díaz-Canel revealed that Cuba went four consecutive months without receiving a single drop of fuel from abroad: "We went 4 months without receiving a drop of fuel. 4 months, 4 months without receiving anything, working with our reserves and working from January to April."
The crisis was triggered by the confluence of the cut in Venezuelan supply—following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in early January 2026—and the Executive Order signed by Donald Trump on January 29, 2026, which imposed secondary sanctions on any country or company that exported fuel to the island.
The humanitarian impact has been devastating. The island has recorded power outages of up to 30 and 40 consecutive hours in entire communities, with many places receiving only three or four hours of electricity per day.
The generation deficit reached 1,885 MW during peak hours at the end of March, with ten of the 16 thermoelectric units out of service.
Transport, water supply, and solid waste collection also collapsed.
Russia announced the dispatch of a second vessel, El Universal, which already crossed the English Channel in mid-April escorted by a Russian frigate.
The Russian Minister of Energy, Serguéi Tsiviliov, confirmed it on April 2: "A Russian ship has broken the blockade. A second ship is being loaded."
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