US eases Cuba oil embargo but demands ‘dramatic’ change
The Straits Times
The United States swiftly then blocked Venezuela from exporting oil to Cuba. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BASSETERRE - The United States on Feb 26 eased an oil embargo on Cuba but Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the island to change “dramatically,” saying the communist government had only itself to blame for a historic economic crisis.
Mr Rubio, a Cuban-American and lifelong critic of Havana’s government, heard concerns that the island’s tumult could destabilise the whole region as he attended a Caribbean Community summit.
Attending the talks on the tiny island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mr Rubio staunchly defended the Jan 3 US attack that deposed Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
The United States swiftly then blocked Venezuela from exporting oil to Cuba, which had relied on its ally for nearly half its needs, triggering fuel shortages and rolling blackouts on the island.
The Treasury Department announced on Feb 26 that the United States would allow Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba if sent to the private sector - a small presence in the communist nation.
Mr Rubio warned that the sanctions would be snapped back if the oil winds up going to the government or military.
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