Russian Oil Tanker Arrives at Energy-Starved Cuba as Trump Drops Objections

A sanctioned Russian oil tanker arrived at Cuba on Monday, delivering a critical lifeline to the energy-starved island after President Trump unexpectedly waived his objections to the shipment.The Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil, docked at the port of Matanzas in western Cuba. The vessel was loaded at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on March 8 and was initially escorted by a Russian navy ship through the English Channel.Its arrival directly challenges a de facto American fuel blockade that has crippled the Caribbean nation. Cuba lost its primary regional ally and oil supplier in January following the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuela’s socialist leader, Nicolás Maduro.The Cuban government, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, says it had not received any oil shipments for more than three months. The resulting crisis forced strict emergency measures on the country’s 9.6 million citizens, including gasoline rationing, diminished public transport, and seven nationwide blackouts.The Trump administration had previously threatened to impose tariffs on any country sending oil to Cuba. However, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Mr. Trump shifted his stance.“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not,” the president said.“Cuba is finished; they have a bad regime, and they have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter,” Mr. Trump added. “I prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need.”The Kremlin on Monday applauded the delivery. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow considered it a duty to assist Cuba and noted that the energy shipment had been discussed with the United States ahead of the delivery, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti. The Kremlin had previously dismissed Mr. Trump’s tariff threats, pointing out that Washington and Moscow “don’t have much trade right now.”Despite the diplomatic maneuvering, energy experts say the shipful of crude oil won’t go very far and won’t be a quick fix.Processing the raw crude will take time. Jorge Pinon, an expert on Cuba’s energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, told Agence France-Presse it will take 15 to 20 days to refine the oil, followed by another five to 10 days to distribute the refined products.Ultimately, the Russian shipment is expected to yield about 250,000 barrels of diesel — enough to cover Cuba’s national demand for about 12 days.

Russian Oil Tanker Arrives at Energy-Starved Cuba as Trump Drops Objections

Russian Oil Tanker Arrives at Energy-Starved Cuba as Trump Drops Objections

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