CUBAN aviation officials have warned airlines that there isn’t enough fuel for planes to refuel on the island, taking the latest step in Havana’s efforts to ration energy.

With the US administration’s illegal economic attack cutting the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources, the Cuban government said jet fuel would not be available at nine airports across the island, including Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, from Wesdesday until March 11.

Political pressure on Latin America from US President Donald Trump has effectively severed Cuba’s access to its primary petroleum sources in Venezuela and Mexico.

Late last month, Mr Trump signed an executive order imposing a tariff on goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a measure that could further cripple an island already struggling with a deepening energy crisis.

On Monday, Air Canada said it was suspending flights to the island, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continue to Havana.

The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated $3 billion (around £2.2bn) in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline.

Cuban officials also announced on Monday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. 

In Havana, bus services have effectively been suspended, leaving residents stranded amid power cuts and long queues for fuel.

The energy emergency has forced the suspension of major events such as the Havana International Book Fair this weekend and a restructuring of the national baseball season for greater efficiency. 

However, international condemnation of the US economic attack on Cuba is growing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow stood with the peoples of Cuba and Venezuela and believed they alone had the right to determine their own destiny.

Venezuela was attacked by US forces in a raid on January 3, during which 100 people were killed, including 32 Cubans, and President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were kidnapped.

Mr Lavrov said: “Countering neocolonial practices of all kinds, ranging from unilateral coercive measures to military interventions, remains firmly in our focus. In this context, we reaffirm our solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba. 

“We are convinced that only they can determine their own future,” he said in a video address published on the Foreign Ministry’s website.