US will reportedly allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba amid blockade
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- The US is permitting the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying around 650,000 barrels of Urals crude oil, to dock in Cuba despite a de facto oil blockade imposed by Washington.
- This shipment could alleviate Cuba's severe energy crisis, as the island has faced three months without oil imports, resulting in gasoline rationing and frequent power outages.
- The Trump administration has blocked all Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and pressured other countries to halt exports, but the decision to allow the Russian tanker may be to avoid escalating tensions with Russia at sea.
- The US has temporarily eased sanctions on Russia to facilitate oil flow disrupted by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, contrasting with its hardline stance on Cuba's oil imports.
- Another Russian-origin vessel, Sea Horse, initially destined for Cuba with 200,000 barrels of fuel, was redirected to Venezuela amid these geopolitical dynamics.
