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A top Cuban official has condemned the United States’ latest executive order targeting countries that supply oil to Cuba, amid President Trump indicating that the US is now holding high-level talks with Cuban leaders.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: To keep it blunt, Cuba is pretty fucked right now after the United States cut off all Venezuelan oil shipments to the island. You may remember that shortly after the US removed Maduro, Trump announced that no more Venezuelan oil would be going to Cuba. That forced Cuba to rely on its second-largest oil supplier, Mexico, to fill the gap. Earlier this week, Mexico delayed its first oil shipment to Cuba and has indicated it will delay additional shipments to avoid tariffs. Attached below is a graph showing where Cuba’s oil imports come from, with Mexico and Venezuela together supplying about 85% of the island’s energy.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has condemned President Trump’s move to impose tougher sanctions on Cuba, accusing him of trying “to suffocate” Cuba’s economy under what he called a “false and baseless pretext.” He described the US leadership as a “fascist, criminal and genocidal” clique that has “hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal ends,” appearing to single out Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a known anti-Cuba hardliner.

The impact of the US measures has been significant, with blackouts returning and Cubans struggling to keep food from spoiling amid electricity cuts. This has led Pope Leo to call on both the US and Cuba to quickly begin “sincere and effective dialogue.” According to the pope, citing Cuban bishops, the situation in Cuba is becoming “troubling” and that both sides had a duty to talk so that it wouldn’t “increase the suffering of the dear Cuban people.”

This all comes as President Trump confirmed that the US has begun talks with top Cuban officials about reaching a “deal.” While speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump said, “We’re starting to talk to Cuba,” and added, “I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba.”