Cuba has told international airlines it won’t be able to refuel their planes, as supply dries up following President Trump’s military operation in Venezuela. Deliveries to the island nation have been choked off by Washington, after it took control of Venezuelan exports following the abduction of dictator Nicolás Maduro and encouraged Mexico to withhold supply. Stocks in the communist-run country are due to run out on Tuesday, its government said, according to Reuters. Cuba is reliant on oil from Venezuela—its top supplier until recent disruptions—receiving barrels in exchange for sending security personnel and other assistance to Caracas. Airlines from the U.S., Panama, and Mexico are expected to be the hardest hit by the shortage. The disruption is expected to strain the country’s already-frail tourism industry, which endured an 18-point decline in visitor numbers last year and is struggling to recover from Covid-19, The Financial Times reports. It added that Cuba has not received any oil since early January when it got a shipment from Mexico, and that swathes of the island’s business are subject to U.S. government trade restrictions.
Read it at The Financial Times
