US pledges food aid for Cuba while putting squeeze on fuel supply

The US government on Thursday announced an additional US$6 million in aid for Cuba as the island’s crisis deepens and tensions escalate between the two countries, with Cuba’s president accusing the US of an “energy blockade”.The aid was largely meant for those living in Cuba’s eastern region, which Hurricane Melissa slammed into late last year. The supplies include rice, beans, pasta, cans of tuna and solar lamps that will be delivered by the Catholic Church and Caritas, said US Department of State Senior Official Jeremy Lewin.He warned that officials with the US embassy in Cuba would be out in the field “making sure that the regime does not take the assistance, divert it, try to politicise it”.Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, called the move ‍two-faced.“Quite hypocritical to apply draconian coercive measures denying basic economic conditions to millions and then to announce soup & cans for a few,” de ‌Cossio said on social media.The US previously sent US$3 million in disaster relief to the Cuban people affected by Melissa.