Related videos:
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, designated Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET) this Thursday as a sanctioned entity under the Executive Order 14404 by President Trump, signed on May 1, 2026.
The measure blocks all assets and interests of CUPET under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits any transactions with the entity by individuals or companies subject to U.S. law.
The warning extends beyond U.S. borders: the State Department expressly stated that "non-U.S. persons, including foreign financial institutions, should proceed with caution in any dealings with a party sanctioned under this authority."
EO 14404 establishes that non-U.S. companies and financial institutions engaging in transactions with designated entities, or operating in the energy, defense, metals and mining, financial services, or economic security sectors of Cuba, are at risk of being included themselves on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN).
Rubio accused the regime of turning energy into a tool of repression and illicit enrichment.
"The regime has stolen and hoarded the available fuel, using it for the private plane of the Castros, for the security forces employed to repress the Cuban people, to keep empty tourist hotels lit, and to transport people on buses for fake protests and political maneuvers," he detailed.
The Secretary of State emphasized that all of this was happening "while the Cuban people suffered blackouts and waited weeks to fill their gas tanks."
The designation comes a day after it was revealed that Vanguard Energy, a company based in Coral Gables (Florida), would have signed a contract with a Cuban import agency to lease CUPET facilities and send more than 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per trip, in what has been described as the largest shipment of American fuel to Cuba since the Eisenhower era.
On the same Wednesday, the State Department denied having authorized that operation, stating that "the Trump administration's sanctions remain in effect in the absence of specific guidance or a contrary license." The designation of CUPET definitively clarifies any legal ambiguities regarding operations through its facilities.
This is the second major action under EO 14404 in less than five weeks.
On May 7th, Rubio formalized sanctions against GAESA -the military-business conglomerate that controls tourism and imports in Cuba- giving foreign companies a deadline until June 5th to sever ties. This pressure led shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM to officially suspend operations with Cuba in May.
Rubio also noted that CUPET's key assets were "illegally expropriated from American owners years ago," adding a dimension of historical claim to the sanction.
The measure comes at the worst energy moment Cuba has experienced in decades.
Since January, the supply of Venezuelan oil was interrupted following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Russia made its last shipment in October 2025, and Mexico suspended its supplies for fear of U.S. tariffs.
The electrical deficit reached a record 2,174 MW on May 14, with blackouts lasting up to 22 hours a day in Havana. Cuba currently generates less than 1,000 MW, only about a third of the approximately 3,000 MW it needs.
The Cuban Minister of Energy, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted in May that Cuba had "absolutely no fuel, no diesel, only associated gas."
Rubio concluded the announcement with a straightforward message: "President Trump desires a new future for the Cuban people with greater freedom and economic and political opportunities. Until then, we will continue to undermine the communist regime's ability to use its energy trade to promote its corrupt agenda and violently suppress the Cuban people."
Filed under: