US President Donald Trump says he has no issue with Russia sending oil to Cuba, as a sanctioned tanker nears the island to ease a severe fuel crisis.
HAVANA: US President Donald Trump said he has no problem with Russia sending oil to Cuba, despite Washington’s de facto fuel blockade against the island. His comments came as a sanctioned Russian tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, was nearing Cuban waters carrying 730,000 barrels of crude.
The shipment offers temporary relief for Cuba’s 9.6 million people. The nation has endured a deepening energy and economic crisis since losing its main oil supplier, Venezuela, in January.
“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not,” Trump told reporters. He was speaking while flying back to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump reiterated his hostile stance towards Cuba’s communist government. He predicted the regime would fail “within a short period of time.”
“Cuba’s finished, they have a bad regime, they have very bad and corrupt leadership,” Trump said. He added that a single oil shipment would not change the island’s fate.
The president stated he would prefer to let the fuel in. “The people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need,” he explained.
Trump has previously threatened tariffs on any country aiding Cuba. He has also mused about “taking” the island nation.
“Within a short period of time, it’s going to fail, and we will be there to help it out,” Trump said on Sunday. “We’ll be there to help our great Cuban Americans out.”
The Anatoly Kolodkin was off northeast Cuba on Sunday evening. Shipping tracker MarineTraffic indicates it is expected to dock at the western port of Matanzas by Tuesday.
This marks the first oil delivery to Cuba since January. Washington’s blockade prompted President Miguel Diaz-Canel to impose strict fuel rationing and emergency conservation measures.
Diaz-Canel warned this month that “any external aggressor will encounter an unbreakable resistance.” The crisis has caused fuel prices to soar and public transport to dwindle.
Cubans face daily power outages as aging plants struggle. Seven nationwide blackouts have occurred since 2024, including two this month, sparking rare protests.
The Anatoly Kolodkin left the Russian port of Primorsk on March 8. It was escorted by a Russian navy ship across the English Channel before proceeding alone into the Atlantic.
According to The New York Times, the US Coast Guard is allowing the sanctioned tanker to reach Cuba. The Coast Guard did not reply to an AFP request for comment.
Another ship, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, reportedly carrying Russian diesel, rerouted to Venezuela this week.
Energy expert Jorge Pinon said Cuba’s most urgent need is diesel. The former oil executive is based at the University of Texas at Austin.
Pinon estimates the Russian crude could be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel. This would cover Cuba’s demand for approximately 12.5 days.
“The urgent need today in Cuba is diesel,” Pinon stated. He said the government faces a critical allocation decision.
Officials must choose between using the fuel for backup power generators or for essential transport. “Do I want to generate more electricity so there are less apagones (blackouts)? Or do I want to put it in the transportation sector?” Pinon asked.
Processing the crude will take 15-20 days, with refined products delivered 5-10 days later. A recent humanitarian convoy delivered over 50 tonnes of aid, including medicine and solar panels, to Cuba.