Edith Hejberg“There’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday
Mandy Pruna still smiles when he recalls the wave of American travelers who poured into Cuba after President Barack Obama restored diplomatic ties in 2015.
His bright red 1957 Chevrolet became a symbol of that brief thaw. Tourists, including Will Smith, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, paid what he calls princely sums, at least by Cuban standards, for a ride through Havana’s streets.
“It was the best era for tourism in Cuba,” Pruna said. “All sectors of society benefited from that.”
A car at the center of history
Pruna’s vintage Chevy was more than a tourist attraction. US diplomats chose it, along with two other classic American cars, to stand in the background during the US Embassy’s flag-raising ceremony in Havana.
The moment marked the official restoration of ties after decades of hostility.
For many Cubans, it felt like a turning point, one that promised opportunity and connection.
From boom to breakdown
A decade later, that optimism has faded. Cuba now faces what may be its deepest economic uncertainty in generations.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, oil shipments to the island have dried up.
With few allies willing or able to step in, the fuel that powers Cuba’s economy is running out.
Oil as leverage
Through military action in Venezuela and tariff threats against Mexico, Washington has squeezed off Cuba’s energy lifeline.
The administration argues that the island’s centralized economy must open up before it collapses entirely.
“There’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading negotiations with Cuban officials.
A model laid bare
Rubio, a Cuban American and longtime critic of Havana’s leadership, has made clear he sees little room for compromise.
“This is a regime that has survived almost entirely on subsidies, first from the Soviet Union, then from (former Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez,” Rubio said at the Munich Security Conference. “For the first time, it has no subsidies coming in from anyone, and the model has been laid bare.”
For Cuba, the loss of outside support has exposed deep structural weaknesses.
Daily life slows to a crawl
Across the island of nearly 10 million people, life is grinding down.
Schools have suspended classes. Workers have been furloughed to conserve energy. Hotels sit nearly empty, and flights from Russia and Canada have been canceled because there is not enough jet fuel.
The UK and Canada have warned against non-essential travel. Even the annual Habanos cigar festival has been called off.
Darkness over havana
Power cuts dominate conversations on nearly every street corner. Residents swap notes on blackout schedules and brace for long nights without electricity.
In Havana, the stars are often visible above a city wrapped in darkness.
Hospitals have reduced services, and trash piles up as fuel shortages sideline garbage trucks. Mining operations for nickel and cobalt have been paused.
The threat of hunger
Cuba already imports most of its food after decades of troubled agricultural policies. Now even that fragile supply line is under strain.
Some Cuban-American politicians are calling for a total halt to US assistance.
“This is the moment to stop everything: no more tourism, no more remittances, no more mechanisms that continue to finance and sustain the dictatorship,” said Republican congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar.
A brutal dilemma
Salazar acknowledged the human cost of tougher measures.
“It’s devastating to think about a mother’s hunger, about a child who needs immediate help. No one is indifferent to that pain. But that is precisely the brutal dilemma we face as exiles: to resolve the short-term suffering or to free Cuba forever,” she said.
For families on the island, that debate feels painfully immediate.
Shortages at the market
Private companies that import food from the US have suspended operations, saying they cannot refrigerate products during daily blackouts.
At Havana’s agro-markets, vendors struggle to restock. Fuel shortages make it harder to transport fruits and vegetables from the countryside.
“There’s no food. The impact will be terrible. We won’t have anything,” said Anayasi, a vendor who declined to give her last name.
Calls to ‘resist creatively’
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has urged citizens to adopt what he calls a wartime mentality.
“We will eat what we can produce in each place. Now if there is less fuel then food will not be able to leave from some municipalities to other ones,” he said during a televised address.
His message: endure, adapt, and hold on.
An uncertain future
For Pruna, the crisis has forced painful choices.
“I need gas to be able to work, I need tourists to be able to work,” he said. “Everything is uncertain at the moment. There’s no fuel. We don’t know if there will be any and how we will pay for it.”
That morning, after 20 years behind the wheel of his classic Chevy, he suspended his license as a driver and began considering emigration to Spain.
