The damage could be relieved much easier and faster by lifting the blockade
Em meio a apagões que afetam dois terços do território cubano, o presidente Díaz-Canel rejeitou uma oferta humanitária americana de cem milhões de dólares, argumentando que o levantamento do embargo energético seria o remédio verdadeiro — não a caridade. O gesto revela uma tensão mais profunda: o que Washington chama de má gestão econômica, Havana chama de estrangulamento deliberado. Entre essas duas narrativas, a população cubana vive no escuro, batendo panelas nas ruas da capital.
- Sessenta e cinco por cento do território cubano perdeu energia simultaneamente em um único dia, enquanto o governo confirmou o esgotamento total das reservas de combustível.
- Em Havana, moradores foram às ruas em panelaços — protesto visceral que traduz a exasperação de uma população sem luz, sem combustível e sem perspectiva imediata de alívio.
- Díaz-Canel recusou os cem milhões de dólares oferecidos pelos EUA, afirmando que o dano foi 'calculado a frio' por Washington e que remover o embargo seria mais fácil e eficaz do que aceitar ajuda.
- O secretário de Estado Marco Rubio rebateu, atribuindo o colapso à má gestão econômica interna de Cuba — mantendo o impasse narrativo que paralisa qualquer solução estrutural.
- A Igreja Católica surge como possível intermediária para a distribuição da ajuda, mas a aceitação permanece incerta enquanto as posições políticas de ambos os lados endurecem.
Cuba vive há semanas sob o ritmo dos apagões. Na terça-feira, 65% do país perdeu energia ao mesmo tempo; na quarta, a região leste sofreu um colapso massivo. Naquela noite, moradores de Havana saíram às ruas com panelas e colheres, num protesto sonoro que eclodiu após o governo admitir que as reservas de combustível haviam se esgotado. O ministro de energia confirmou o fato pela televisão estatal, atribuindo a crise diretamente ao embargo energético americano em vigor desde o final de janeiro.
Quando Washington anunciou um pacote de ajuda humanitária de cem milhões de dólares — a ser distribuído pela Igreja Católica —, o presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel respondeu com uma recusa calculada. Em suas redes sociais, escreveu que o alívio poderia vir 'de forma muito mais fácil e rápida' com o levantamento ou afrouxamento do embargo, descrevendo a crise como 'calculada a frio e induzida' pelos Estados Unidos. Cuba não pedia caridade, deixou claro — pedia o fim do que considera um estrangulamento econômico deliberado.
O chanceler Bruno Rodríguez havia sinalizado abertura para discutir os termos da ajuda, mas a posição endureceu ao longo do dia. A disposição de ouvir não apagou a mensagem central: cem milhões de dólares são um curativo sobre uma ferida criada por política intencional.
Do outro lado, o secretário de Estado Marco Rubio, viajando com o presidente Trump rumo à China, atribuiu o colapso cubano à má gestão econômica interna. Para Washington, o bloqueio não é a causa — é uma resposta a um governo que falhou com seu próprio povo. O impasse permanece: enquanto as duas narrativas se chocam, os apagões continuam, as ruas de Havana escurecem, e a pergunta sobre se a ajuda será aceita — e em que condições — segue sem resposta.
Cuba's president rejected a hundred-million-dollar humanitarian offer from the United States this week, arguing that lifting the economic blockade would solve the problem far more directly. Miguel Díaz-Canel made the statement on Thursday after Washington announced the aid package, which would be distributed through the Catholic Church. The timing was pointed: the island has been strangled by an American energy embargo since late January, and the consequences have become impossible to ignore.
For weeks now, blackouts have become the rhythm of Cuban life. On Tuesday alone, sixty-five percent of the country lost power simultaneously. The eastern region suffered a massive outage on Wednesday. In Havana that night, residents took to the streets with pots and pans, banging them in protest—a visceral expression of frustration that erupted after the government announced its fuel reserves had simply run out. The energy minister, Vicente de la O Levy, confirmed the depletion on state television, framing it as a direct consequence of the blockade.
Díaz-Canel's response to the American offer was measured but pointed. He wrote on social media that the damage could be relieved "in a much easier and faster way" through lifting or loosening the embargo, since the humanitarian crisis was "coldly calculated and induced" by Washington. The statement reframed the entire conversation: Cuba was not asking for charity, it was asking for the removal of what it views as economic strangulation.
The Cuban foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, had signaled the previous day that the government was willing to consider the aid package and listen to its terms. But by Thursday, the position had hardened. Rodríguez reiterated that Cuba remained open to discussing how the assistance would materialize, but the underlying message was clear: a hundred million dollars is a band-aid on a wound created by deliberate policy.
The United States sees the crisis differently. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Air Force One while traveling with President Trump to China, attributed Cuba's collapse to internal economic mismanagement. "It's a broken and dysfunctional economy, and it's impossible to change it," he said. From Washington's perspective, the blockade is not the cause but a response to a government that has failed its people through its own decisions.
What remains unresolved is whether the aid will be accepted and under what conditions. The Catholic Church's role as intermediary suggests a possible path forward, but the fundamental disagreement persists: Cuba insists the blockade is the problem; the United States insists Cuba's government is. Meanwhile, the blackouts continue, the fuel reserves stay empty, and Havana's streets grow darker each night.
Citações Notáveis
The damage could be relieved in a much easier and faster way through lifting or loosening the embargo, since the humanitarian crisis is coldly calculated and induced by Washington.— Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuban president
It's a broken and dysfunctional economy, and it's impossible to change it.— Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would Cuba turn down a hundred million dollars when people are living without electricity?
Because accepting it would mean admitting the crisis is Cuba's own failure. The money is conditional—it has to go through the Church, which signals distrust. But more than that, it's a fraction of what the blockade costs them.
So this is about pride, then?
It's about power. If Cuba accepts aid, it validates the American narrative that the government broke the economy. If the blockade lifts, Cuba can say it was never about mismanagement—it was about strangulation.
But people need electricity now. Doesn't that matter more than the argument?
Of course it matters. That's why Díaz-Canel is making the case so publicly. He's saying: we can have electricity tomorrow if Washington chooses to allow it. The aid takes months to distribute. The blockade could end in days.
Does the United States have any incentive to lift it?
Not under this administration. Rubio sees the blockade as justified punishment for a failed state. He's not wrong that Cuba's economy is broken, but he's ignoring that the blockade made it harder to fix.
So what happens next?
Cuba probably accepts the aid eventually—they have no choice. But they'll do it while continuing to argue that it's insufficient and that the real solution sits in Washington's hands. The blackouts will continue. The pressure will mount.