Cuba is struggling under a deep energy crisis due to a US oil blockade. The communist island nation of 11 million people faces long power cuts and severe fuel shortages. The government has imposed strict emergency rules. These include a four-day workweek, less transport between provinces, school hour cuts, and closing main tourist spots. Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva told state TV the emergency steps aim “to preserve the country’s essential functions and basic services while managing limited fuel resources.” He pledged, “This is an opportunity and a challenge that we have no doubt we will overcome. We are not going to collapse.” Cuba blames the US for the crisis. Washington blocked oil shipments from Venezuela, the island's key ally and fuel supplier. President Donald Trump called Cuba “a failed nation” and said it “looks like it’s something that’s just not going to be able to survive.” In January, Trump signed an order punishing countries that send oil to Cuba. Cuba’s government offered to keep talking with the US. The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on February 2, “Cuba reaffirms its willingness to maintain a respectful and reciprocal dialogue... based on mutual interest and international law.” US officials want the Cuban government to change. Senator Marco Rubio, of Cuban descent, said, “We would like to see the regime there change.” Rubio is a key figure in shaping US policy on Cuba. Cuba’s oil stocks could last only 15 to 20 days by end of January. The country needs about 100,000 barrels daily but now depends less on Venezuela, more on Mexico and others. The UN is worried. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general is “extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cuba, which will worsen, and if not collapse, if its oil needs go unmet.” Francisco Pichon, top UN official in Cuba, described a mix of hope and worry among locals facing “rolling blackouts” and rising hardship. Cuba plans to push renewable energy and protect key sectors like health, food production, and defense while cutting culture and sports activities. The 60-year-old US embargo has hit Cuba’s economy hard, isolating it internationally after the 1959 revolution. Diplomatic ties briefly improved under Obama but worsened strongly under Trump. The latest sanctions intensify Cuba’s isolation and fuel crisis, risking lives and livelihoods.