S8 Ep608: 5. Evan Ellis Headline: Cuba’s Energy Crisis Amidst Cold War Echoes Cuba suffers from nationwide blackouts as Russian oil shipments attempt to bypass U.S. surveillance. Ellis explores the symbolic importance of the island and the complexities of U.S. nego
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
5. Evan Ellis Headline: Cuba’s Energy Crisis Amidst Cold War Echoes Cubasuffers from nationwide blackouts as Russian oil shipments attempt to bypass U.S. surveillance. Ellis explores the symbolic importance of the island and the complexities of U.S. negotiations with the Castro family. (5)
1931
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm John Batchelor. This is the New World Report. I welcome my colleague and friend, Professor Evan Ellis, |
| 0:22.1 | U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, and Cuba, in the news because the Trump |
| 0:29.2 | administration is said to be in conversation in the person of the Secretary of State, Mr. Rubio, |
| 0:36.3 | whose parents left Cuba many years ago because of the abuse of the government, which is commonplace, uniform, and continues. |
| 0:46.4 | However, there is the possibility of a better day. |
| 0:50.2 | At the same time, the enemy gets a vote, and that's why paying attention to a story that is now unclear but is being reported in Europe and the United States, |
| 1:03.0 | two shipments of Russian oil and gas head to Cuba in defiance of U.S. |
| 1:07.6 | That's the Financial Times in these last hours. |
| 1:11.4 | Subhead, first cargo on course to arrive Monday next week as Donald Trump taunts |
| 1:16.9 | communist island while administration engage in talks. |
| 1:21.9 | Professor, it's impossible to become more confused by Cuba, but I just did because what |
| 1:27.3 | we're looking at is a Cold War |
| 1:29.7 | redux of all possible endings, all possible endings. I know the Cuban Missile Crisis very well. Thank you |
| 1:39.0 | very much. I've done book after book about it for 20 years. This is not a missile crisis, but somehow it combines all |
| 1:47.6 | the elements of both threat and mystery. What do you make of this story of oil and gas from Russia |
| 1:55.0 | headed to Cuba, which of course is out of oil, to our understanding, has gone dark now and again, and is at risk of |
| 2:03.9 | losing food security, losing medical security, and peace and mind. Good evening to you. |
| 2:11.2 | Good evening to you, John. Well, the situation in Cuba with the two ships, including the one |
| 2:17.3 | Russian-flagged seahorse, this appears to be a bit of a mystery in the context of what really is a broader tragedy in drama. |
| 2:25.0 | As you alluded to, part of the broader context, of course, is that as Cuba's crisis deepens, it hasn't gotten oil for about a month now, either from Venezuela or from Russia or even from Mexico, which used to send it some. |
| 2:38.4 | And so you've had nationwide blackouts, literally all-day blackouts. |
| 2:42.9 | That has begun to translate even into some protests. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.