- US President Donald Trump has permitted a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, to enter Cuban waters, providing temporary relief to the island’s crippled power grid.
- The White House clarified that the move is not a formal policy change but a case-by-case decision to address “humanitarian needs” as hospitals and public services struggle.
- Experts warn that the 730,000 barrels of crude will only sustain the island’s energy needs for 15 to 30 days once refined.
A Russian oil tanker has reached Cuba after President Donald Trump authorized it to bypass the active US fuel blockade.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying nearly 730,000 barrels of oil, was tracked moving toward the port of Matanzas on Monday, March 30, 2026.
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This development follows weeks of severe blackouts and infrastructure collapse across the island nation, which the US has labeled an “extraordinary threat.”
Speaking from Air Force One, Trump told reporters he had no issue with the shipment, stating that the Cuban people need “heat and cooling” to survive.
“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem. I prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else,” the President added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later emphasized that while sanctions remain in place, the administration is making exceptions for humanitarian reasons.
The arrival of the tanker is a response to a dire energy crunch in Cuba that has seen hospitals struggle to stay open and trash pile up in the streets of Havana.
The crisis intensified after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, cutting off Cuba’s primary oil source, and threatened other nations like Mexico with tariffs for supplying the island.
Despite the arrival, energy experts describe the shipment as a “drop in the bucket.” Jorge Piñón of the University of Texas noted that the crude must still be processed at an inefficient 1950s-era refinery in Havana, a process that could take up to 20 days.
Once refined, the resulting diesel is expected to last only about two weeks, after which the island may return to its current state of total power grid failure.
The Kremlin confirmed it remained in contact with Havana regarding aid options, while Trump dismissed concerns that the move benefited Vladimir Putin.
For now, the focus remains on whether this temporary reprieve will lead to a more stable flow of energy or if the island will fall back into darkness by mid-April.
