A Russian tanker carrying oil to Cuba has entered the waters off the Communist-run island, Russia's Interfax news agency reports. The oil shipment - the first to reach Cuba since January - comes hours after US President Donald Trump said that he had no problem with countries, including Russia, sending supplies to the island. Trump's remark appeared to signal a loosening of a de facto oil blockade his administration had imposed on Cuba since January.
Cuba has been experiencing a series of nation-wide blackouts as the blockade exacerbated existing shortages. According to Interfax, the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin is carrying a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
Cuba's situation has deteriorated rapidly since January 3 when US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro - a staunch ally of the Cuban government - who had been providing the island with oil under preferential terms. Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on any nation sending oil to Cuba.
Russian Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev stated that Cuba has found itself in a difficult situation due to sanctions pressure, which is why humanitarian supplies are currently being sent.
Just over a week ago, the US Treasury department added Cuba to a list of countries barred from receiving oil deliveries from Russia. However, in an apparent reversal of this strategy, Trump recently said he had no problem with Russia delivering oil to Cuba, indicating that help is needed as they have to survive.
The Russian tanker is slated to offload the oil at the Matanzas terminal in the coming hours, expected to provide Cuba with a short-term lifeline amid ongoing discussions with the Trump administration as both sides navigate complex political and economic nuances.
Cuba has been experiencing a series of nation-wide blackouts as the blockade exacerbated existing shortages. According to Interfax, the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin is carrying a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
Cuba's situation has deteriorated rapidly since January 3 when US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro - a staunch ally of the Cuban government - who had been providing the island with oil under preferential terms. Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on any nation sending oil to Cuba.
Russian Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev stated that Cuba has found itself in a difficult situation due to sanctions pressure, which is why humanitarian supplies are currently being sent.
Just over a week ago, the US Treasury department added Cuba to a list of countries barred from receiving oil deliveries from Russia. However, in an apparent reversal of this strategy, Trump recently said he had no problem with Russia delivering oil to Cuba, indicating that help is needed as they have to survive.
The Russian tanker is slated to offload the oil at the Matanzas terminal in the coming hours, expected to provide Cuba with a short-term lifeline amid ongoing discussions with the Trump administration as both sides navigate complex political and economic nuances.
