It did not specify whether they included political prisoners, but it said they had all "served a significant portion of their sentences and have maintained good conduct while in prison". The release comes as Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that US and Cuban officials were holding talks to find solutions to the two countries' differences. He said no fuel had entered Cuba in three months. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Cuba was in "deep trouble" as he threatened a "friendly takeover" of the Caribbean country.

Cuba is experiencing several blackouts as the island struggles with fuel shortages, which have been made worse by pressure from the US. Since returning to the White House, Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's leadership. He has also threatened tariffs on goods imported into the US from any country that gives Cuba oil. Havana relies heavily on imported fuel for its electricity and the US has seized a number of oil shipments bound for Cuba. Venezuela was believed to have sent around 35,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba, providing about half the island's oil needs. But Washington's Venezuela raid - and capture of President Nicolás Maduro - in early January has disrupted the arrangement.

In a national broadcast on Friday, Díaz-Canel said that not having fuel enter Cuba for the past three months has led to the gradual decline of diesel and fuel oil reserves. Given this, the country's electrical grid has become increasingly "unstable", he said. To mitigate the impact Cuba had increased production of domestic crude and gas, as well as solar generation. (BBC)