Russian tanker nears Cuba with much-needed oil as Trump softens tone

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – A Russian tanker full of crude oil has entered Cuban waters and was expected to reach port on March 30, possibly granting a lifeline to Cuba as US President Donald Trump appeared to relax a de facto oil blockade on the Caribbean island.

Ship tracking data showed the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin was just off the eastern tip of Cuba on March 29. It was due to reach the port of Matanzas on March 30, the official Cuban news site Cubadebate reported.

Mr Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, signalled a new flexibility in allowing oil into Cuba, saying: “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba, right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”

Until now, Mr Trump had effectively halted all oil shipments to Cuba in an attempt to pressure the government in Havana, while also issuing a series of threatening statements against Havana.

The New York Times, citing a US official briefed on the matter, reported that the US Coast Guard allowed the sanctioned vessel to sail to Cuba, though it was unclear why. Blocking the tanker by force, however, could have escalated the risk of conflict with Russia at a precarious time in geopolitics.

Cubadebate called the Russian shipment a direct challenge to the US oil blockade, after the Russian navy escorted the sanctioned vessel through the English Channel on its way to the Caribbean.

In any case, the oil would be welcomed by Cuba, which has imposed strict rationing of petrol amid the US oil blockade and experienced a series of major power outages across the Communist-ruled island.

The Anatoly Kolodkin tanker departed from Russia’s Primorsk port carrying some 650,000 barrels of crude, LSEG ship-monitoring data showed. Other reports said the vessel contained 730,000 barrels.

Earlier in March, the US temporarily eased sanctions on Russia to help improve the global flow of oil that has been restricted by the US-Israeli war with Iran. REUTERS