Trump: USA allows Russian oil tankers to pass to Cuba

“If any country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. A shipload of oil makes no difference anyway, Trump continued, according to US media. “Cuba is finished.”

No more deliveries for three months

According to LSEG ship tracking data, the US-sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin is en route to Cuba. The ship left the Russian port of Primorsk. While the LSEG data put the cargo at around 650,000 barrels of crude oil, the newspaper said it was 730,000 barrels.

The delivery should significantly ease the tense situation in Cuba. According to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the country has not received any oil imports for three months. This led to strict rationing of gasoline and exacerbated an energy crisis that resulted in multiple power outages across the country.

The government in Washington had effectively blocked oil deliveries to Cuba in order to increase pressure on the leadership in Havana. At the same time, the USA has temporarily lifted its sanctions against Russia. The aim is to improve global oil supplies, which have been restricted by military strikes by the USA and Israel against Iran.