{"id":27014,"date":"2026-08-11T15:49:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/?p=27014"},"modified":"2026-08-11T15:49:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:49:58","slug":"us-fuel-cuba-black-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/world\/us-fuel-cuba-black-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuel from the US has transformed the Cuban market: petrol is being sold from flats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"news-lead\">Cuba\u2019s private sector imported around 900,000 barrels of fuel from the US between February and May, according to Reuters. The supplies helped some companies to continue operating during energy shortages, but some of the petrol and diesel ended up being sold on the black market. In the spring, prices there reached up to $10 per litre \u2014 an amount unaffordable for most of the island\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"news-summary-box\">\n<p><strong>Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The shipments from the US were intended for the Cuban private sector.<\/li>\n<li>On the black market, petrol cost up to 10 dollars per litre in the spring.<\/li>\n<li>The average state salary is approximately $10 a month.<\/li>\n<li>Almost 200 companies are authorised to sell fuel wholesale to private businesses.<\/li>\n<li>The state controls the infrastructure through which imports pass.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Fuel from the US in Cuba ends up in the hands of private businesses<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Despite the US oil embargo, the US Department of Commerce permits the export of fuel to Cuban private enterprises. As a result, restaurants, shops, transport companies and other businesses not linked to the public sector have begun to receive petrol and diesel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/us-fuel-sales-cuban-business-bring-glimpse-capitalism-havana-2026-08-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a>, between February and May, approximately 900,000 barrels of US fuel were shipped to Cuba. The agency was unable to identify the suppliers, but there is no evidence to suggest that the world\u2019s largest oil traders were involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">For a country with a population of around nine million people, this is a relatively small amount \u2014 it would last for about nine days. However, the deliveries helped some private businesses to continue operating during prolonged power cuts and transport disruptions.<\/p>\n<h2>Petrol is being sold in flats and on social media<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Some of the imported fuel has ended up on the black market. Petrol and diesel are being sold via Facebook, Instagram, <a href=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/science-tech\/indiya-zaboronila-whatsapp-imen-korystuvachiv\/\">WhatsApp<\/a>, small shops and directly from private homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Storing fuel cans in residential buildings poses a risk of fire, explosion and poisoning from fumes. At the same time, high demand allowed retailers to raise the price of petrol to $10 per litre in the spring \u2014 around $38 per gallon. Following an increase in imports, prices have fallen slightly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">One of the companies officially selling diesel to registered private businesses is offering a 940-litre tank at a price of $2.50 per litre. Cuban bloggers and celebrities are already actively promoting these services.<\/p>\n<h2>High fuel prices are exacerbating inequality<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The average wage for public sector workers in Cuba is around 6,700 pesos, or approximately 10 dollars a month. As a result, imported fuel remains unaffordable for the vast majority of the population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Well-off Cubans and private businesses can fill up their cars, use taxis and run generators during power cuts. Others are forced to wait for hours for public transport or simply give up on travelling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In Havana, a short journey in a private taxi can cost as much as 1,000 pesos, whereas a ticket on a state-run bus costs just two pesos. The difference is therefore around 500-fold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Generators running on imported fuel also enable shops and restaurants to remain open during major power cuts. Some households use them to power the pumps on which their water supply depends.<\/p>\n<h2>Cuba is opening up its energy sector to private investment<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In February, the Cuban government allowed private companies to import goods independently for the first time <a href=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/world\/kuba-drugyj-blekaut-2026-enerhetychna-kryza\/\">fuel for own use<\/a>. In June, parliament approved a package of economic reforms providing for greater access for private and foreign investors to the energy sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">By the end of July, nearly 200 Cuban businesses had been granted licences to sell fuel wholesale to other private companies. The authorities have also approved the first project involving a foreign investor, which will import and sell petrol and diesel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In the future, private businesses may be granted access to the management of some of the petrol stations in the state-owned Cupet network. At present, there is no authorisation for full-scale private retail sales of fuel.<\/p>\n<h2>The state retains control over the infrastructure<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">American fuel intended for the private sector passes through state-run ports and storage facilities. Cuban companies enter into contracts to use this infrastructure and pay around 11 cents per litre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">This system creates difficulties for American suppliers, as some Cuban port and fuel companies are subject to US sanctions. US regulations require that the goods be used by the private sector and not end up in the hands of Cuban state or military bodies.<\/p>\n<p>President of Cuba <strong>Miguel Diaz-Canel<\/strong> assures that the economic changes do not amount to a mass privatisation of state assets. However, the emergence of private importers, wholesalers and foreign investors is already eroding the state monopoly that has shaped the island\u2019s energy sector for decades.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US has authorised the supply of fuel to Cuba\u2019s private sector. The imports have boosted business, but some of the fuel has ended up on the black market.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":207433346,"featured_media":27013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_description":"\u0421\u0428\u0410 \u0434\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043b\u0438\u043b\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0447\u0430\u0442\u0438 \u043f\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0435 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0441\u0435\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 \u041a\u0443\u0431\u0438. \u0406\u043c\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442 \u043f\u0456\u0434\u0442\u0440\u0438\u043c\u0430\u0432 \u0431\u0456\u0437\u043d\u0435\u0441, \u0430\u043b\u0435 \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0435\u0441\u0443\u0440\u0441\u0443 \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043f\u0438\u043b\u0430 \u043d\u0430 \u0447\u043e\u0440\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e\u043a.","rank_math_title":"\u041f\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0435 \u0437\u0456 \u0421\u0428\u0410 \u043d\u0430 \u041a\u0443\u0431\u0456: \u0431\u0435\u043d\u0437\u0438\u043d \u043f\u043e $10 \u0437\u0430 \u043b\u0456\u0442\u0440","rank_math_focus_keyword":"\u043f\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0435 \u0437\u0456 \u0421\u0428\u0410 \u043d\u0430 \u041a\u0443\u0431\u0456","td_subtitle":"","subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[805619],"tags":[805624],"class_list":["post-27014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-805624"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207433346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27015,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27014\/revisions\/27015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}