US Offers $6M Aid to Cuba Amid Fuel Crisis, Sanctions Backlash

• The US announced an additional $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba, bringing the total to $9 million since Hurricane Melissa in October.
• Aid is being distributed via the Catholic Church, with no interference from Cuban authorities reported by US official Jeremy Lewin.
• Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister, Carlos Fernández de Cossio, criticized the aid as 'hypocritical' given intensified US sanctions and a fuel blockade.
• The fuel crisis in Cuba has deepened due to tightened US restrictions, including a halt to Venezuelan oil shipments and potential tariffs on other suppliers.
• Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced temporary measures to address fuel shortages and blackouts, while the US blames Cuban governance for the broader humanitarian crisis.