The U.S. government on Thursday announced an additional $6 million in aid for Cuba, saying the supplies are intended largely for people in the island’s eastern region who were affected by Tropical Storm Melissa and who continue to face a worsening crisis. The announcement came as Washington and Havana exchanged sharply worded accusations over what is driving shortages and how quickly aid can reach ordinary Cubans.
U.S. State Department Senior Official Jeremy Lewin said the new aid package includes items such as rice, beans, pasta, canned tuna and solar lamps. He said the Catholic Church and Caritas would deliver the supplies, and he framed the effort as disaster assistance for civilians rather than political engagement.
Lewin said U.S. officials at the embassy in Cuba would be “making sure that the regime does not take the assistance, divert it, try to politicize it.” He added that the U.S. had already sent $3 million in disaster relief to Cuban people affected by Melissa, positioning the new funding as part of a continuation of humanitarian support.
In the same remarks, Lewin rejected Cuba’s argument that interruptions in oil shipments from Venezuela—after the U.S. attacked the South American country and arrested its then leader—were responsible for Cuba’s humanitarian conditions. He instead accused Cuba’s leadership of mismanaging resources, saying the island has “hoarded all of the resources for the few senile old men that run the country, for their henchmen, for the security apparatus,” and he accused Cuba of “meddling abroad,” including “colonizing Venezuela.”
Lewin said any effort to blame the United States for Cuba’s food problems misses what he described as the central issue: the Cuban government’s inability to put food on shelves. He argued that it has “billions of dollars” but does not use them to buy food for “ordinary Cubans,” including in response to what he portrayed as continued oil pressure on Venezuela.
The U.S. aid announcement followed hours after Díaz-Canel held a rare, invite-only press conference in which he addressed the latest tensions with the United States. The Associated Press was not invited to attend, according to the report.
Díaz-Canel told the select group of reporters that the U.S. is waging a “psychological war” and he said President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, calling it an “energy blockade.” Díaz-Canel said the threat affects transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and food production, and he also cited severe blackouts and losses linked to sanctions, saying they cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025.
Díaz-Canel said Cuba has not received oil shipments since the U.S. began its “naval blockade” on Venezuela in December. In his remarks, he said fuel shortages create problems not only for electric generation but also for “basic activities,” and he pledged that in a week he would share more details about the island’s current situation and how the government planned to confront it.
In response to Díaz-Canel’s comments, Lewin said any new assistance announcements would depend on whether Cuba allows the United States to provide more support. Lewin urged Cuban officials to focus on providing for their people, saying, “He can talk a big game, but again, any government, its first responsibility is always to provide for its people.”
Díaz-Canel also said his government is open to dialogue with the United States under conditions that include respect for Cuba’s sovereignty and “without addressing sensitive issues that could be perceived as interference in our internal affairs.” He said, “Cubans do not hate the American people,” adding, “We are not a threat to the United States.”