Russia today assured that it will continue to provide aid to Cuba following the arrival on Monday of the tanker 'Anatoli Kolodkin' with 100,000 tons of crude oil (over 700,000 barrels). 'Of course, Russia considers it its duty not to stand aside and offer the necessary help to our Cuban friends,' said Dmitry Peskov, presidential spokesman, in his daily telephone press conference. He added that 'the desperate situation in which Cubans now find themselves cannot, of course, leave us indifferent, so we will continue to work on this matter.' Peskov expressed his satisfaction that the 'Anatoli Kolodkin' arrived in Cuba, the first shipment of oil to reach the island in the last three months. 'At this moment, the ship is waiting to be unloaded at the port of Matanzas', about 100 kilometers from Havana, states the press release from the Russian Ministry of Transport, after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, gave the green light for the arrival of the Russian oil supply. In this regard, Peskov also admitted that said authorization had been addressed 'in advance' during contacts with White House representatives. The Financial Times reported in mid-March that Moscow had sent a second tanker, 'Sea Horse', with about 27,000 tons of fuel destined for the Caribbean island. Russia had last sent oil to the island in February 2025, when it supplied the Castro regime with 100,000 tons of crude. Several Russian ships belonging to the so-called 'ghost fleet' have been apprehended at sea by Western coast guards. According to press estimates, today's shipment should be enough to meet the island's needs for several weeks, which is mired in a serious energy crisis due to the blockade imposed by Washington. Trump allows Russia to send oil to Cuban authorities The U.S. lifted sanctions on oil in transit for one month, which would have departed from its ports before March 12. However, Washington prohibited such supplies in the case of Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. Instead, Trump assured on Sunday that he has 'no problem' with Cuba receiving Russian oil, as he argued: 'They have to survive!' 'It doesn't bother me (...) they have a bad regime, they have bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not an oil ship arrives, that doesn't matter,' the head of state indicated. Trump signed an executive order on January 29 threatening tariffs on anyone supplying oil to Cuba, to which the Kremlin promised humanitarian aid to overcome the crisis. The inability of Cuban authorities to meet energy demand has resulted in prolonged daily blackouts and the near-total paralysis of the economy.
