The Trump administration put a concrete offer on the table to the Cuban regime: fuel and humanitarian aid in exchange for Havana opening its energy industry to private management.
The revelation was made by a spokesperson for the State Department to Martí Noticias, in which Washington also refuted the Cuban government's official version that the bilateral dialogue was stalled.
The fuel offer has an explicit condition that the regime has formally rejected.
"The Trump Administration has provided the regime with clear options to receive humanitarian aid, distributed through appropriate channels, and fuel if it privatizes the energy industry. Unfortunately, it continues to prioritize state control over the wellbeing of the Cuban people," the spokesperson stated.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that President Trump has "many options" and that he will continue to use all available tools to "promote the economic and political reforms that will allow Cuba to have a better future."
The dialogue continues
The U.S. official responded to Lianys Torres Rivera, head of the Cuban mission in Washington, who, in an interview with Bloomberg the previous Monday, claimed that the negotiation channel between the two countries was "completely stalled" and without an agreed agenda.
The State Department responded emphatically: "The conversations are ongoing, and so far, the regime has not been willing to accept anything that could help the Cuban people and that, ultimately, threatens its total control."
The spokesman described Torres Rivera's statements as "propaganda." He did not specify who is participating in the dialogues or when the most recent meeting took place.
The proposal comes at the worst energy moment for Cuba in decades. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted in May that the Island "has absolutely no fuel or diesel". The only significant shipment received this year was from the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which arrived in March with about 730,000 barrels of crude oil, enough for barely 10 to 15 days of consumption.
Daily power outages exceeding 20 hours—often surpassing 24 hours—are overwhelming the population. The country has experienced, in 2026, seven total collapses of the electrical system, the latest occurring on August 3, along with a historic deficit of 2,341 MW recorded on July 8.
Washington outright rejected the regime's claim that the crisis is a consequence of U.S. sanctions, which, according to Torres Rivera, are a "collective punishment" and a "war without bombs."
"The energy crisis is a direct result of the incompetence of the Cuban regime," asserted the spokesperson, adding that "ordinary Cubans have endured blackouts for years while the illegitimate regime focused on stockpiling fuel for its elites and reselling it in Asia for cash profits."
The State Department directly accused the communist leaders of systemic corruption: "They hide billions in foreign bank accounts instead of investing in electricity, infrastructure, and responsible maintenance."
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