US allows Russian oil tanker to deliver crude to Cuba amid blockade
Consensus Summary
The US is allowing a Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, to deliver approximately 650,000–730,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba’s Matanzas port after three months without imports, easing an energy crisis marked by severe rationing and blackouts. Both sources confirm the shipment’s significance—enough to supply Cuba’s diesel demand for 9–10 days—but differ on specifics like barrel counts and Trump’s motivations. While the Guardian highlights broader geopolitical context, including US sanctions on Russia and Venezuela’s role, ABC emphasizes Trump’s direct statements approving the shipment, framing it as humanitarian relief despite Cuba’s weakened state. The tanker’s arrival follows a US blockade cutting off Venezuelan oil and Mexico’s halt to exports, leaving Cuba reliant on alternative sources. Contradictions arise in barrel estimates, Trump’s stated reasoning, and the potential for US intervention, though both agree on the crisis’s severity and the shipment’s temporary relief.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin is carrying approximately 650,000–730,000 barrels of Urals crude oil from Primorsk to Cuba’s Matanzas port.
- The ship was tracked just off the eastern tip of Cuba (MarineTraffic and LSEG data) and expected to arrive by Tuesday local time (ABC: Matanzas; Guardian: Matanzas).
- Cuba has faced no oil imports for three months, leading to severe gasoline rationing, energy crises, and widespread power outages (Guardian and ABC).
- The US blocked Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and threatened sanctions on third countries supplying Cuba, causing Mexico to halt exports (Guardian).
- The Anatoly Kolodkin is sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK due to Russia’s war in Ukraine (ABC).
- Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has cited the energy crisis as a major challenge, with reliance on natural gas, solar power, and reserves (ABC and Guardian).
- The oil shipment could supply Cuba’s daily diesel demand for 9–10 days (ABC: 180,000 barrels; Guardian: unspecified but significant relief).
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Donald Trump’s administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia to improve oil flow restricted by US/Israeli strikes on Iran (contextual background).
- A second Russian-origin vessel, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, was rerouted from Cuba to Venezuela with 200,000 barrels of fuel.
- US military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2024, removing a key Cuban ally providing oil on favorable terms.
- US officials cited in the New York Times confirmed the tanker’s destination to Cuba but did not explain why the shipment was allowed.
- Blockade could raise tensions at sea if the US attempted to intercept the tanker by force.
- Trump explicitly stated ‘I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not’ about allowing the oil shipment to Cuba.
- Trump claimed the oil would supply Cuba for ‘nine or ten days’ and produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel.
- Trump dismissed the shipment as not benefiting Russia, calling it ‘one boatload of oil’ lost to Putin.
- Trump previously stated he could ‘take Cuba’ or ‘free it’ and described it as a ‘very weakened nation.’
- Cuban state media journalists reported the tanker’s expected arrival, though Cuban officials did not immediately comment.
- Raúl Castro (Cuba’s former president) still wields significant political influence despite Díaz-Canel’s presidency.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian reports the tanker carries 650,000 barrels, while ABC states it carries 730,000 barrels.
- The Guardian mentions the US temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia to improve oil flow (contextual), but ABC does not reference this explicitly.
- ABC quotes Trump directly about allowing the shipment with no conditions, while the Guardian notes uncertainty about why the US permitted it.
- The Guardian implies the US could block the tanker by force, raising tensions, but ABC does not mention this possibility.
- ABC highlights Trump’s past comments about ‘taking Cuba’ and regime change, while the Guardian focuses on the blockade’s impact without direct quotes on regime change.
Source Articles
US will reportedly allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba amid blockade
Anatoly Kolodkin could soon discharge at Matanzas port, US official says, three months after Cuba’s last oil import The US is allowing a Russian tanker full of crude oil to reach Cuba , the New York T...
Trump has 'no problem' with Russian oil shipment to Cuba
President Donald Trump has said he has "no problem" with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a US oil blockade....