&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "First oil shipment reaches Cuba in three months as US allows Russian ship to dock")
A Russian oil tanker arrived at a Cuban port on Tuesday (March 31), marking the first shipment of crude oil to the country since January after the United States eased blocks imposed on the island.
The Anatoly Kolodkin docked in the western part of Matanzas with an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude after the Trump administration allowed a ship under US sanctions to enter the island.
Cuban citizens and Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy expressed relief over the arrival of the ship, as a shortage of petroleum had prompted an energy crisis marked by prolonged blackouts and a severe shortage of food and medicine. It also worsened the already weakened economy.
“Our gratitude to the Government and People of Russia for all the support we are receiving. A valuable shipment that arrives amidst the complex energy situation we are facing,” de la O Levy wrote on X.
The Trump administration enforced a strict energy blockade on Cuba in early 2026 as a main pillar of its “maximum pressure” campaign, aimed at destabilising the Cuban government and forcing political change.
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Meanwhile, the US president continued his “Cuba is next” warnings as he called on Havana to “make a deal before it’s too late,” suggesting that a friendly takeover or total collapse of the regime is imminent.
However, shifting his stance on Sunday, Trump said he had “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island.
“We don’t mind somebody getting a boatload because they need it… they have to survive,” Trump said.
“Cuba’s finished,” he added. “They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”
“Our gratitude to the Government and People of Russia for all the support we are receiving. A valuable shipment that arrives amidst the complex energy situation we are facing,” de la O Levy wrote on X.
