BASSETERRE, St Kitts and Nevis (AFP) — As Caribbean leaders met with United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday, Washington softened a virtual oil siege on the island of Cuba imposed by President Donald Trump in January after the United States ouster of top Cuba ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.

Before Maduro’s capture by US forces on January 3 Cuba had relied on Venezuela for about half its fuel needs.

The US oil blockade, in place for over a month, has brought an already crumbling Cuban economy to the brink.

Faced with outcry from Caribbean leaders, worried that starving Cuba of oil would cause the economy to quickly collapse, Washington said it would allow shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use”.

The US Treasury Department said the oil exports would need to go through private businesses and not the Cuban Government or the military apparatus which controls much of the island’s economy.

Rubio was a guest at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

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