U.S. President Donald Trump said he has “no problem” with a Russian crude tanker delivering fuel to Cuba, appearing to reverse course over his administration’s oil blockade as the island grapples with a deepening energy crisis.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said: “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it’s Russia or not.”
His comments come as a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the sanctioned Anatoly Kolodkin, makes its way to Cuba carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil.
The tanker is reportedly expected to reach port on Monday and is seen as something of a lifeline to the Caribbean nation, which is facing its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Cuba had been heavily dependent on oil supplies from Venezuela, but it has effectively been cut off since early January when the U.S. launched an extraordinary military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
