Russian Tanker Arrives in Cuba Carrying 100,000 Tonnes of Oil

A Russian tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil has docked off Cuba, marking the island’s first major fuel shipment in roughly three months.

The shipment comes just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had “no problem” with Russia sending supplies, even though his administration had been blocking fuel deliveries to Cuba since early January.

“We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need… they have to survive,” he said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

Russian media identified the vessel as the Anatoly Kolodkin, describing the cargo as a “humanitarian shipment”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Russia considered it a duty to help its Cuban allies, adding that the delivery had been coordinated in advance with American officials.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO)  warned that Cuban hospitals were struggling to keep emergency and intensive care services running due to the fuel shortages.