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

A Russian tanker carrying approximately 650,000 to 730,000 barrels of crude oil entered Cuban waters on Sunday, providing a critical lifeline to the island as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a sudden relaxation of a months-long fuel blockade. The Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin is expected to dock at the port of Matanzas by Tuesday, marking Cuba’s first major oil import in three months. Speaking from Air Force One, President Trump expressed a newfound “flexibility” regarding the shipment, stating he had “no problem” with countries sending oil to the island to address the humanitarian needs of the Cuban people, despite his administration’s previous efforts to force regime change through energy sanctions.

The arrival comes at a moment of extreme crisis for Cuba, where the lack of imports has caused the national electrical grid to collapse and forced strict rationing of gasoline and medicine. While the U.S. Coast Guard reportedly declined to intercept the sanctioned vessel to avoid escalating tensions with Moscow, the Trump administration maintained a hardline rhetoric, with the President predicting the Cuban government would “fail within a short period of time.” For Havana, the shipment offers a temporary reprieve, though energy experts warn the 12-day supply of diesel it will yield is only a stopgap measure for an island still grappling with widespread blackouts and economic isolation

Credit : CGTN