US to allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba

The United States Coast Guard will allow a Russian tanker to deliver more than 700,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba, easing months of restrictions imposed by Washington on fuel shipments to the island, The New York Times reported.

The tanker is currently less than 24 kilometers from the island and is expected to enter Cuban waters on Sunday afternoon, docking on Tuesday, according to the report.

The vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, sailing under the Russian flag, is a tanker sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union.

The arrival of the shipment is expected to help ease Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, which has been exacerbated by a U.S.-led oil blockade that sharply reduced fuel supplies to the island, triggering widespread blackouts and economic disruption.

It remains unclear why the White House decided to allow the tanker’s passage or whether it will permit further Russian oil shipments to Cuba in the future, the newspaper said.

Russia had indicated weeks earlier that it was considering sending crude to Cuba for humanitarian reasons, despite the move posing a challenge to U.S. policy.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 29 threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba, as part of broader efforts to pressure Havana.

Since January, Washington has tightened restrictions on oil flows to the island in an attempt to force the Cuban government into negotiations and economic reforms, following a strategy similar to that applied to Venezuela.

Cuba requires around 100,000 barrels per day to meet its energy needs, of which roughly 40,000 barrels come from domestic production. The shortfall has resulted in prolonged daily blackouts and a near paralysis of the economy.