Russian tanker carrying oil arrives in Cuba

A Russian tanker full of crude oil has entered Cuban waters and was expected to reach port on Monday (March 30), possibly granting a lifeline to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to relax a de facto oil blockade on the Caribbean island, Reuters reports.

Ship tracking data showed the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly ⁠Kolodkin was just off the eastern tip of Cuba on Sunday (March 29). It was due to reach the port of Matanzas on Monday, the official Cuban news site Cubadebate reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, signaled a new flexibility in allowing oil into Cuba, saying, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba, right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”

Until now, Trump had effectively halted all oil shipments to Cuba in an attempt to pressure the government in Havana, while also issuing a series of threatening statements against Havana.

The Anatoly ⁠Kolodkin tanker departed ⁠from Russia’s Primorsk port carrying some 650,000 barrels of crude, LSEG ship-monitoring data showed. Other reports said the vessel contained 730,000 barrels.