CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on Thursday in a rare high-level meeting between U.S. and Cuban officials amid worsening tensions between the two countries.

The visit came as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages, widespread blackouts, and economic hardship that Cuban officials blame on President Donald Trump’s tightened sanctions and fuel blockade.

Cuban leaders said the talks aimed to improve political dialogue and insisted the island poses no threat to U.S. national security.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accused Cuba’s communist leadership of causing the country’s suffering and pushed for aid to bypass the government, Barron’s has reported.

The ongoing crisis has triggered protests across Havana as large parts of the country continue to experience prolonged power outages.