On Monday, the Russian Transport Ministry said that the Anatoly Kolodkin tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil as humanitarian aid had arrived in Cuba and was awaiting unloading at the port of Matanzas.
"The discharge of the Russian vessel 'Anatoly Kolodkin' has been successfully completed on schedule. In the coming days, the processing of the 100,000 tonnes of received oil will begin as part of the solidarity assistance from Russia," Cupet said on X.
On Thursday, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev said that a second batch of oil from Russia to Cuba is already being loaded for shipment. He added that Russia "will not leave Cubans in the need."
On January 29, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing tariffs on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba, and declared a state of emergency due to an alleged Cuban threat to US national security. The Cuban government stressed that the US is using the energy blockade to stifle the Cuban economy and make living conditions unbearable for its population.