U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after departing from Air Force One at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida.
Nathan Howard | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump on Sunday signaled he would reverse his policy of blocking oil shipments to Cuba after a Russian tanker approached a Cuban port with a much-needed cargo, saying he has “no problem” with which countries ship the oil.
The sanctioned Russian vessel, part of the country’s “shadow fleet,” was just off the coast of eastern Cuba on Sunday and was expected to arrive in port on Monday, according to ship tracking data. It is the lifeblood of the country’s economy, which has been brought to a near standstill by Washington’s de facto oil blockade.
After overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, the United States suspended oil exports from Venezuela to Cuba, but President Trump threatened to impose punitive tariffs on other countries that sent oil to Cuba. Mexico, which along with Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest supplier, subsequently halted shipments.
As a result, Cuba has not received any oil tankers for three months, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, worsening the energy crisis and leading to strict rationing of gasoline and a series of power outages across the country, which has a population of 10 million. Cuban health officials say the crisis has increased the risk of death for Cuban cancer patients, especially children.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump expressed sympathy for Cuba’s people’s energy needs and said he was not interested in any aid provided to Havana’s communist government because he predicted it would soon self-destruct.
“If a country wants to send oil to Cuba right now, I don’t have a problem with it, whether it’s Russia or not,” Trump said.
“Cuba is over. It’s a bad government. It’s got a very bad and corrupt leader. It doesn’t matter if they get the oil ships or not,” Trump said. “Whether it’s in Russia or wherever, I think we should accept that, because people need heating and cooling and everything else they need.”
While expressing concern for the Cuban people, President Trump has made a series of threatening statements against the Cuban government and said he would focus more on the country, 90 miles (150 kilometers) from U.S. shores, after the deal with Iran.
Oil cargo could sustain Cuba for a month
In early March, the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Russia to improve global oil flows, which have been restricted by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. However, the measure also created exemptions explicitly prohibiting transactions involving other regions, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Crimea.
The Anatoly Kolodkin left Russia’s Primorye port with around 650,000 barrels of crude oil, according to LSEG ship monitoring data. Other reports said the ship was carrying 730,000 barrels.
Cuba’s state news agency Cubadebate called the Russian cargo a direct challenge to the US oil blockade, after the Russian navy escorted the sanctioned vessel through the English Channel on its way to the Caribbean.
The New York Times, citing U.S. officials briefed on the matter, reported that the U.S. Coast Guard allowed the sanctioned ship to sail to Cuba for unknown reasons. But interdicting the tanker by force could increase the risk of conflict with Russia at a time of geopolitical instability.
Brett Erickson, of consulting firm Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin was significant given that the British government last week allowed another ship in Russia’s shadow fleet, the VAYU 1, to transit the English Channel, after the British government announced it was allowing the military to board ships passing through British waters.
He said Russia is suffering a “very big windfall from the Iran war” while also providing much-needed oil to Cuba, which has become increasingly strategically important to Russia after its allies in Syria and Venezuela have collapsed and Iran has come under attack.
“Havana’s operations don’t need that much oil. The Kolodkin has enough oil for about two and a half weeks, but that could extend to about a month in total,” Ericsson said, taking into account Cuba’s rationing.
