US President Donald Trump said on Sunday evening that he had "no problem" with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering aid to the island, which is in dire straits due to the US oil blockade, and rejected the idea that allowing the ship to reach Cuba would help Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, UNN reports, citing CBS News.
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"We have a tanker there. We don't mind if someone gets a ship because they need to... they need to survive," Trump told reporters on his way back to Washington.
Asked if The New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump replied, "I told them, if a country wants to send some oil to Cuba now, I have no problem, whether it's Russia or not."
US allows Russian oil tanker to Cuba, breaking energy blockade30.03.26, 05:30
Tracking data showed the oil tanker, carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of oil, was near the eastern tip of the island on Sunday evening and was expected to arrive in Matanzas by Tuesday. Cuban state media journalists also reported the expected arrival of the vessel, although Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The vessel "Anatoly Kolodkin" has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom after the war in Ukraine.
Trump, whose administration has opposed its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any US administration in recent memory, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil supplies in an attempt to bring about regime change. The blockade, the publication writes, "has had devastating consequences for civilians, whom Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many in despair."
Cuba emerges from another blackout and tries to attract investors from the diaspora17.03.26, 17:05
Island-wide power outages have shaken Cubans already struggling with a years-long crisis, and a lack of fuel and basic resources has paralyzed hospitals and curtailed public transport.
Experts say the expected shipment could provide about 180,000 barrels of diesel fuel – enough to meet Cuba's daily demand for nine or ten days.
Cuba has long been at the center of a decades-long geopolitical tug-of-war between the US and Russia, the publication notes. Trump on Sunday dismissed the idea that allowing the ship to reach Cuba would help Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
"It won't help him. He'll lose one ship of oil, and that's it. If he wants to do it, and if other countries want to do it, I don't really care," Mr. Trump said. "It won't have any impact. Cuba is over. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether they get a ship of oil, it won't matter."
He added, "I'd rather let it in, whether it's Russia or someone else, because people need heat, air conditioning, and everything else."
Trump has repeatedly hinted at further US action against Cuba, repeatedly stating, including on Sunday evening, that the Caribbean island is "next."
"Cuba is a mess. It's a failing country, and they're going to be next," Trump said. "In a short period of time, it's going to fail, and we're going to be there to help it. We're going to be there to help our great Cuban Americans who were driven out of Cuba."
The US blockade has also prompted civilians from outside Cuba to take matters into their own hands, embarking on dangerous aid delivery missions.
Two sailboats that departed from Mexico with aid for Cuba as part of the "Nuestra América" convoy docked in Havana on Saturday afternoon after going missing after departing on March 20. Adnaan Stumo, the humanitarian convoy coordinator, said they were "never in serious danger" but were forced to take a longer route to avoid bad weather.
Ships with aid for Cuba, missing in the Caribbean Sea, have been found28.03.26, 16:50
A Mexican Navy aircraft located the sailboats approximately 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana, Cuba, the Navy said on X. The Navy then helped escort the vessels to Havana.