Weeks after the US cut off energy supplies to Cuba, the Kremlin on Monday (local time) welcomed the delivery of a Russian-flagged oil tanker to Havana, CNBC reported.
The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said that the topic of the supply of Russian raw products was raised in advance during contacts with the United States, RIA Novosti reported. He said Moscow sees it as its duty to help Cuba, adding that Havana needs oil products amid a de facto US oil blockade.
The development comes a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington would allow the Russian-flagged tanker as the island grapples with an energy crisis, a move that would break his administration’s blockade.
Read also | How This Russian Tanker Defies Trump’s Cuban Oil Blockade | Explained
A tanker sailing under the Russian flag has arrived in Cuba
According to CNBC, a Russian oil tanker carrying a humanitarian shipment of over 100,000 tons of crude oil has reportedly arrived in Cuba today. But the sanctioned vessel Anatoly Kolodkin was reportedly waiting to unload shortly after Trump said he had “no problem” with a Russian tanker delivering fuel to Cuba.
Russian tanker respite for Cuba?
The shipment of 100,000 tonnes of oil is seen as a lifeline for the Caribbean nation, which is facing one of its biggest tests since the collapse of the Soviet Union amid a deepening energy crisis.
Cuba has been heavily dependent on oil supplies to Venezuela, which were effectively cut off earlier this year after the US launched an emergency military operation to capture its president, Nicolas Maduro, who has since been in the US.
Read also | Trump Removed Maduro But Left Venezuela’s Resource Curse
Trump’s remarks on Russian tanker arriving in Cuba
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on March 29, Trump said: “If any country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not.
Trump now appears to be softening his stance on Cuba, months after he threatened to impose tariffs on any country that helped Cuba by sending oil, forcing Mexican countries to halt all supplies to the island nation. The Kremlin has previously dismissed Trump’s threats of tariffs, stressing that Washington and Moscow are not doing much business now.
However, he added: “Cuba is over, it has a bad regime and it has a very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether they get the oil ship or not, it doesn’t matter.” Speaking to reporters, he added: “I prefer to let it in, whether it’s Russia or whoever, because people need heat and cooling and all the other things you need.”
Cuba’s energy crisis is deepening
Last week, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the Caribbean country had not received any oil shipment in the past three months.
Due to persistent fuel shortages, the country is trying to significantly increase solar power production while continuing negotiations with the US.
Read also | Trouble continues in Cuba as it faces its second power outage in a week
The island nation of more than 10 million people has faced a series of power outages in recent weeks, with the United Nations (UN) warning that the country’s hospitals are struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care.
Earlier on March 21, the island nation suffered a second island-wide power outage, leaving the entire population without power, Reuters reported. The power grid collapsed within a week of the US oil embargo, dealing a major blow to the country’s already struggling energy infrastructure.
