US Permits Russian Oil Tanker to Dock in Cuba Despite Blockade; Trump Remarks on Island’s Resilience

A Russian oil tanker is set to deliver its crude cargo to Cuba, as the U.S. government permits the vessel’s arrival, thereby easing a blockade that has significantly contributed to the island’s ongoing energy crisis, according to recent reports.

The New York Times disclosed that the tanker, named Anatoly Kolodkin and flying the Russian flag, was en route to Cuba on Sunday. The vessel is transporting approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, based on information from a U.S. official familiar with the situation.

On Sunday, ship tracking data indicated that the Anatoly Kolodkin was situated just off Cuba’s eastern coast.

When questioned about the situation, President Donald Trump remarked, “We have a tanker out there. We’re okay with someone getting a shipment because they need it for survival,” during a press briefing on Sunday.

Trump further commented, “I don’t have any issue with a country sending oil to Cuba at this moment, regardless of whether it’s from Russia or not.”

Previously, Trump had attempted to limit oil deliveries to Cuba as part of a strategy to exert pressure on the Cuban government.

The US government has temporarily eased some sanctions on Russian oil shipments to help stabilize global energy markets amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran that began last month.

The Anatoly Kolodkin, which departed from Primorsk, Russia, could soon dock at the Matanzas port in Cuba if it remains on its current path, according to tracking services MarineTraffic and LSEG.

The oil would provide significant relief to Cuba, where President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said fuel shortages have persisted for months, forcing strict gas rationing and deepening the island’s energy crisis.

The US capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January stripped a key Cuban ally who had been providing oil to the island on favorable terms.

The Trump administration then blocked all Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and vowed to impose punitive tariffs on any third country that supplied shipments to the island, forcing Mexico to stop its exports to Cuba.

Another ship, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, was also carrying about 200,000 barrels of Russian fuel to Cuba, but was rerouted to Venezuela.