Cuba Resold Most Of The Cheap Oil It Got From Venezuela Despite Rolling Blackouts, U.S. Official Says

Cuba resold most of the cheap oil it got from Venezuela last year despite the island repeatedly going dark as a result of rolling blackouts, according to a U.S. official.

Speaking to the Miami Herald, the official said Venezuela provided Cuba with crude and refined products worth as much as $1.3 billion between late 2024 and late 2025.

The shipments included about 70,000 barrels of oil per day, of which Cuba then resold about 40,000 to Asia for profit. A state department official told the outlet that the finding is "further proof that the illegitimate Cuban regime only prioritizes enriching itself while the Cuban people suffer the consequences of their corrupt nature and incompetence."

"Everyday Cubans deserve the truth as to why the regime hides billions in overseas bank accounts instead of investing in electricity, infrastructure, health, and the daily needs of its people," the official added.

That lifeline stopped in January with the U.S.'s capture of Nicolas Maduro. The country got some oil from Mexico, but the country is also under pressure from the Trump administration to stop, especially after the president signed an executive order imposing tariffs on goods from countries selling or providing oil to the beleaguered Caribbean country.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that her administration intends to continue sending oil to the country on humanitarian grounds, but the tariffs could deter her from moving forward with the policy.

A report from the Financial Times this week claimed that the country has less than a month worth of oil at current levels of demand and domestic production.

Citing data company Kpler, the outlet noted that the country has oil to last 15 to 20 days unless deliveries resume. "They have a major crisis on their hands" Jorge Piñon, an oil expert at the University of Texas told the outlet.

The country has only received less than 85,000 barrels this year, according to the FT. All came from a shipment on January 9, Kpler detailed. The figure adds to an estimated 460,000 barrels held in inventories at the beginning of the year.

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