By Ayose Naranjo
HAVANA, April 2 (Reuters) – Cuban activists paraded on Thursday on bikes and electric tricycles along Havana’s waterfront Malecon boulevard, accompanied by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, in a show of defiance amid U.S. efforts to starve the island of fuel.
Participants in the government-organized caravan rode past the U.S. Embassy in the Cuban capital, their electric and pedal-powered vehicles displaying flags and banners attacking the sanctions imposed on the country by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The rally came a day after Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington publicly invited the U.S. government to help overhaul Cuba’s crippled economy as part of ongoing negotiations that have yet to yield results.
Participants in the rally said they favored talks with the United States but demanded respect for Cuba.
“I believe that genuine dialogue between both governments is possible, but international law and our country’s autonomy must be respected,” said Sheila Ibatao, a Havana law student and participant.
Diaz-Canel did not speak during the event.
The Cuban government often organizes large rallies at the U.S. Embassy. This caravan was smaller and more discreet, hampered by fuel shortages that have crippled mobility and hobbled public transportation.
A Russian-flagged tankership arrived in Cuba this week and off-loaded 700,000 barrels of crude oil, promising some relief in the coming weeks.
The Trump administration, which has threatened to slap tariffs on countries that export oil to Cuba and explicitly prohibited imports of Russian oil, said it allowed the Russian-flagged tanker to dock in Cuba’s Matanzas port for humanitarian reasons.
(Reporting by Ayose Naranjo; Editing by Dave Sherwood and Will Dunham)
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