Russian tanker with 730,000 barrels of crude near Cuban waters; Trump says ‘no problem with that’

A Russian oil tanker under US sanctions carrying 730,000 barrels of crude is approaching Cuban waters and is scheduled to dock at the western port of Matanzas on Monday, despite a US-imposed fuel blockade that has left the island facing a severe energy crisis.The Anatoly Kolodkin was north of Haiti on Sunday as it made its way to Matanzas, maritime analytics firm Kpler reported. The vessel departed the Russian port of Primorsk on March 8 and was escorted through the English Channel by a Russian navy ship before entering the Atlantic, AFP reported.Cuba has not received any oil since January, after US forces captured Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, cutting off its main regional ally and supplier.

The shortage has deepened an energy crisis affecting the island’s 9.6 million residents.President Miguel Diaz-Canel has imposed strict rationing of gasoline, while public transport has dwindled and some airlines have suspended flights. The country has suffered seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, including two this month.Energy expert Jorge Pinon of the University of Texas at Austin said the Russian shipment could be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough for around 12.5 days of demand. He noted that the government faces a tough choice: "Do I want to generate more electricity so there are less apagones (blackouts)? Or do I want it put in the transportation sector?"Earlier this week, another ship reportedly carrying Russian diesel to Cuba, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, docked in Venezuela instead.

US President Donald Trump reacted to the tanker’s approach, allowing Moscow to send oil despite the US blockade. "If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it's Russia or not," Trump said. He added that the Cuban government would fail "within a short period of time" and reiterated US support for Cuban Americans affected by the communist regime.The Anatoly Kolodkin is expected to dock in Matanzas by Tuesday. Once in Cuba, processing the crude will take 15–20 days, with an additional 5–10 days for refined products to reach end-users, AFP quoted experts saying.