An old Soviet-era Lada car passes behind a truck belonging to a private Cuban company (Mipime) parked in front of a gas station with isotanks of imported fuel in Havana on March 19, 2026.
Adalberto Roque AFP | getty images
A Russian oil tanker carrying a humanitarian consignment of 100,000 tons of crude arrived in Cuba on Monday, according to a Russian state news outlet. RIA NovostiCiting the country’s transport ministry.
The sanctioned Anatoly Kolodkin ship is said to be awaiting unloading shortly after US President Donald Trump said he had “no problem” with Russian crude tankers delivering fuel to Cuba.
Trump’s comments appear to mark a sudden change in policy since his administration imposed an effective oil blockade against Havana.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said: “If any country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not.”
The crude oil shipment is seen as a lifeline for the Caribbean nation, which is facing its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union amid a deepening energy crisis.
Cuba was heavily dependent on oil supplies from Venezuela, but this has been effectively cut off since early January when the US launched an extraordinary military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration later threatened to impose tariffs on any country sending crude oil to Cuba, forcing countries such as Mexico to halt shipments. The Kremlin had previously ignored Trump’s tariff threats, stating that there is “not much trade right now” between Washington and Moscow.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said last week that the island had not received an oil shipment for more than three months. The Communist-run country, which has said it is in talks with the US, has sought to dramatically increase its solar power output amid current shortages of the fuel.
The island of about 10 million people has suffered a series of power outages in recent weeks and the United Nations caution Cuban hospitals are struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
“Cuba is gone, their governance is bad and their leadership is very bad and corrupt and whether they get the oil boats or not, it won’t make any difference,” Trump said Sunday.
“Whether it’s Russia or anyone else, I like to let it in, because people need heat and cool and all that stuff,” he said.