Trump Unfazed by Russian Oil Tanker Aiding Cuba Despite Blockade

“We have a tanker there. We don’t mind if someone takes a boatload because they… need to survive,” Trump told reporters as he headed back to Washington.

When asked if the New York Times’ report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said, “I told them this: If a country wants to send oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem whether that country is Russia or not.”

The oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived at the Cuban port of Matanzas carrying “humanitarian supplies” containing about 730,000 barrels of oil, Russia’s Transport Ministry said on Monday.

The ship was sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom following the war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia had previously discussed oil shipments to Cuba with the United States. “Russia sees it as its duty not to stand aside, but to provide the necessary assistance to our Cuban friends,” he told reporters.

Trump, whose government has attacked its Caribbean foe more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many helpless.

Islandwide power outages have plagued Cubans grappling with a years-long crisis; Lack of gasoline and basic resources has paralyzed hospitals and disrupted public transportation.

Experts say the expected shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to meet Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.

Islandwide power outages have plagued Cubans grappling with a years-long crisis; Lack of gasoline and basic resources has paralyzed hospitals and disrupted public transportation.

Cuba has long been at the center of a decades-old geopolitical dispute between the United States and Russia. Trump on Sunday rejected the idea that allowing the boat to reach Cuba would help Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“This doesn’t do him any good. He’s losing a boatload of oil, that’s all. If he wants to do it and other countries want to do it, that doesn’t bother me that much,” Trump said. “This will have no effect. Cuba is doomed. They have a bad regime. They have a very bad and corrupt leadership and it won’t matter if they get a boatload of oil.”

He added: “Whether it’s Russia or someone else, I’d rather let it in because people need heat and cooling and everything else.”