Cuban foreign minister accuses US of trying to break the \u2018political will\u2019 of Cubans, hints at diplomacy with Washington.<\/p>\n
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Russia has warned that Cuba\u2019s energy crisis<\/a>\u00a0is becoming critical, as it accused the United States of using \u201csuffocating measures\u201d against the socialist island-state.<\/p>\n Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the alarm on Monday, saying Moscow is discussing \u201cpossible solutions\u201d to provide Havana with \u201cwhatever assistance\u201d it needs.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n Cuba is reeling after US President Donald Trump cut off oil shipments from Venezuela, following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces during a bloody night raid in early January.<\/p>\n Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on other countries, including Mexico, if they continue to ship much-needed fuel to Cuba, which has already suffered under decades of punitive sanctions imposed by Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation is really critical in Cuba,\u201d Peskov told reporters in Moscow.<\/p>\n \u201cThe suffocating measures imposed by the United States are causing many difficulties for the country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n In separate remarks, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry\u2019s website, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov renewed Moscow\u2019s \u201csolidarity with the people of Venezuela and Cuba\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are convinced that only they can determine their own destiny,\u201d Lavrov said.<\/p>\n Cuba\u2019s crippling fuel shortage amid US attempts to strangle the economy has immobilised the nation, and power plants are struggling to keep the lights on.<\/p>\n The Cuban government has been forced to impose emergency measures<\/a>, including a four-day work week for state-owned companies, limiting fuel sales, shuttering universities and reducing school hours.<\/p>\n Cuba has also warned international airlines that jet fuel would no longer be available on the island from Tuesday. On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Cuba<\/a> due to the shortage of aviation fuel.<\/p>\n \u2018Breaking the political will of the Cuban people\u2019<\/p>\n For weeks, Moscow has railed against Washington\u2019s campaign against Havana.<\/p>\n Russia has called the US moves against Cuba \u201cunacceptable\u201d and warned of a possible humanitarian crisis in the country.<\/p>\n Moscow\u2019s criticism of the US comes as Russia faces condemnation for its continued bombardment of Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure as part of its war effort against its neighbour. Russian attacks have left more than a million people without power in freezing temperatures, according to Ukrainian officials.<\/p>\n United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had also warned of a humanitarian \u201ccollapse\u201d in Cuba<\/a> if the country\u2019s energy needs go unmet.<\/p>\n On Monday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced Washington\u2019s \u201ccruel aggression\u201d, which he said was aimed at \u201cbreaking the political will of the Cuban people\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation is tough and will demand great sacrifice,\u201d said Rodriguez, reiterating Cuba\u2019s \u201cwillingness to engage in dialogue\u201d, on its own terms.<\/p>\n Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has said his country is willing to hold talks with the US<\/a>, but not under pressure.<\/p>\n Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban immigrants, have made no secret of their desire to bring about regime change in Havana.<\/p>\n Defying Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that sanctions that harm the people of Cuba<\/a> were \u201cnot right\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue supporting them and taking all necessary diplomatic actions to restore oil shipments\u201d to Cuba, Sheinbaum told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot strangle a people like this. It\u2019s very unfair, very unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n