U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after departing Air Force One at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
Nathan Howard | Getty Images
U.S. President DonaldĀ TrumpĀ signaled he was reversingĀ courseĀ on blockingĀ oilĀ shipments to Cuba on Sunday, saying he had “no problem” with any country sending in crude as aĀ RussianĀ tankerĀ neared aĀ CubanĀ port with a badly needed shipment.
A sanctionedĀ RussianĀ vessel, part of the country’s “shadow fleet,” was just off the coast of eastern Cuba on Sunday, according to ship tracking data, and was expected to reach port on Monday, a lifeline for the country’s economy that has nearly ground to a halt under a de factoĀ oilĀ blockadeĀ imposed by Washington.
The U.S. cut off VenezuelanĀ oilĀ exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, andĀ TrumpĀ threatened to slap punishing tariffs on any other country that sent crude to Cuba. Mexico, the largest supplier to Cuba along with Venezuela, then halted its shipments.
As a result, Cuba has not received anĀ oilĀ tankerĀ in three months, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, exacerbating an energy crisis that has led to strict rationing of gasoline and a series of blackouts across the country of 10 million people.Ā CubanĀ health officials say the crisis hasĀ increased the mortality riskĀ forĀ CubanĀ cancer patients, especially children.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One,Ā TrumpĀ expressed sympathy for theĀ CubanĀ people’s need for energy and said he was unconcerned with any assistance it might provide the Communist government in Havana because he predicted it would soon fall on its own.
“If a country wants to send someĀ oilĀ into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not,”Ā TrumpĀ said.
“Cuba is finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat ofĀ oil, it’s not going to matter,”Ā TrumpĀ said. “I’d prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need.”
While expressing concern forĀ Cubans,Ā TrumpĀ has issued a series of threatening statements against theĀ CubanĀ government and said he would turn more of his attention to the country 90 miles (150 km) from U.S. shores after dealing with Iran.
Oil cargo could shore up Cuba for a month
Earlier in March, the U.S.Ā temporarily easedĀ sanctionsĀ on Russia to help improve the global flow ofĀ oilĀ that has been restricted by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. However, that measure also created exemptions that explicitly banned transactions involving Cuba and other places such as Iran, North Korea and Crimea.
The Anatoly ā Kolodkin departed ā from Russia’s Primorsk port carrying some 650,000 barrels of crude, LSEG ship-monitoring data showed. Other reports said the vessel contained 730,000 barrels.
The officialĀ CubanĀ news outlet Cubadebate called theĀ RussianĀ shipment a direct challenge to the U.S.Ā oilĀ blockade, after theĀ RussianĀ navy escorted the sanctioned vessel through the English Channel on its way to the Caribbean.
The New York Times, citing a U.S. official briefed on the matter, reported the U.S. Coast Guard allowed the sanctioned vessel to sail to Cuba, though it was unclear why. Blocking theĀ tankerĀ by force, however, could have escalated the risk of conflict with Russia at a precarious time in geopolitics.
Brett Erickson of the consulting firm Obsidian Risk Advisors said the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin was significant in light of the British government allowing another ship from Russia’s shadow fleet, the VAYU 1, toĀ passĀ through the English Channel after announcing last week it had authorized its military to board such shipsĀ passing through UK waters.
He said Russia has been receiving a “very big windfall from the war in Iran,” while also providing crucially neededĀ oilĀ for Cuba, whose strategic importance to Moscow has increased since the fall of allies in Syria and Venezuela and with Iran under attack.
“Havana doesn’t need very muchĀ oilĀ to operate. The Kolodkin is carrying about two and a half weeks ofĀ oil, but that can be extended to about a month in total,” Erickson said, consideringĀ CubanĀ rationing.
