A sanctioned Russia-flagged tanker carrying Russian crude has entered Cuban waters, ship-tracking data show, avoiding a potentially tense showdown with the US Coast Guard and providing a lifeline to the struggling Caribbean island nation.
The imminent arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin tanker comes as The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that Washington was allowing the Russian tanker to reach Cuba, amid a de facto oil blockade imposed by the US administration.
In comments to reporters late on March 29, US President Donald Trump said, "We don't mind somebody getting a boatload...because they have to survive."
He didn't directly confirm the report, but said, "If someone wants to send oil to Cuba right now, I don't have a problem with that, whether it's Russia or not."
On March 12, the US Treasury issued a license specifically barring Cuba from receiving Russian oil, adding it to the list of restricted countries.
The Anatoly Kolodkin itself has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and Britain
The Trump administration has temporarily eased sanctions on Russia to help improve the flow of oil on world markets after disruptions resulting from the US-Israeli war with Iran. Most of the sanctions were in place to punish the Kremlin for its all-out war on Ukraine.
Some US and European leaders, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have criticized the decision, saying it will help Moscow fund its invasion of Ukraine.
The Anatoly Kolodkin departed the Russian port of Primorsk after loading some 700,000 barrels of crude. It could soon offload at Cuba's Matanzas port, according to tracking services Marine Traffic and LSEG.
The delivery would represent the first oil imports in more than two months by the island nation, which has instituted strict rationing of gasoline amid a deepening an energy crisis and massive power outages.
It was not immediately clear why the Coast Guard allowed the ship to pass into Cuban waters, although attempting to stop the ship in the high seas would have sent tensions with Moscow soaring.
'Cuba's Next'
Trump has effectively blocked all oil shipments to Cuba as he ramps up pressure on the communist-run Havana government.
At an economic forum in Miami on March 27, Trump said “Cuba’s next” while discussing the war in Iran.
"We have been very, very successful. You know, when I went into Venezuela...I built this great military, I said, you'll never have to use it, but sometimes you have to use it," Trump said, before adding, "And Cuba's next, by the way, but pretend I didn't say that please."
Previously, Trump had suggested that Washington would be doing "something with Cuba" very soon.
Trump has said US and Cuban officials are in talks, although he hasn't said precisely what he is demanding of Havana.
The island nation some 145 kilometers off of Florida has been a thorn in the side of US administrations since the revolution led by Fidel Castro, who took power in 1959, eventually setting in place a communist-led government with close links to the Soviet Union.
Trump said he has asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead talks with Cuban officials and has spoken of a “friendly” takeover of the island.
