Russian tanker docks in Cuba after U.S. allows passage amid oil blockade

Summary

A Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil docked Tuesday at the Cuban port of Matanzas, a development Cuban officials and some residents marked as an immediate relief for a country facing rolling blackouts and shortages of food and medicine, AP reported.

The Anatoly Kolodkin was allowed to proceed by the Trump administration despite an ongoing U.S. energy blockade, according to the AP account from Cuba. It was the first oil tanker to reach the island in three months, AP reported.

Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba’s Energy and Mines minister, posted on X that Cuba’s government and people were grateful for support from Russia and said the shipment arrives amid a “complex energy situation.” Cuba produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to keep its electricity system running, according to the AP report, which said the shipment could cover about nine or 10 days of diesel demand.

Deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío also posted on X that the tanker’s arrival drew “so much news” and described it as evidence of what he characterized as a brutal siege of Cuba. In the same posts, he linked the shipment to the island’s ongoing struggle amid sanctions pressure.

Some Cubans celebrated what the ship represented, AP reported. Matanzas resident Camilo Galves said the delivery brought “great relief” and “a moment of great joy” amid hardships, saying it signaled that Cuba is “not alone in the world.”

But others questioned whether the oil will translate into broad benefits for ordinary people. Leticia Almeida Barceló, 54, told AP that ships bringing oil or other goods “don’t give us anything,” citing continued blackouts, water shortages and recurring shortages of essentials. Fishermen also watched the tanker as it docked under early morning light, the report said.

AP also cited residents saying they had been waiting for shipments for some time. Armando Ramirez, 50, said people had been waiting for the arrival because it had been “some time since any ship entered,” and that the oil was needed “for the people.”

The shipment arrives after Cuba’s prior major supplier, Venezuela, halted deliveries, AP reported, saying the suspension came after the U.S. attacked Venezuela and arrested its leader in early January. The AP account also said Mexico has halted its oil shipments to Cuba after Trump threatened in late January to impose tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to the island.

Trump publicly addressed the decision to allow a Russian oil tanker while other options faced restrictions. On Sunday night, he told reporters he had “no problem” with the Russian tanker delivering relief so long as “they have to survive,” AP reported, adding that Cuba’s leadership was “bad” and “corrupt” and that the shipment would not change the overall situation.

On Monday, when asked about the approach, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “a decision that will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or otherwise,” and that “there’s been no firm change in our sanctions policy,” AP reported.

The tanker’s voyage comes as the vessel is sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom in connection with Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been pressuring for changes in Cuba’s policies and governance, the AP report said, adding that both sides have said talks are ongoing as the island’s economic and energy crises deepen.