Updated on: March 30, 2026 / 3:35 AM EDT / CBS/AP
President Trump said Sunday night he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off Cuba delivering fuel to the island, which the U.S. has largely cut off through an oil blockade intended to pressure the government.
“We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need… they have to survive,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he returned to Washington. Asked whether a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, he said: “I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”
Tracking data shows the vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying roughly 730,000 barrels of oil, was off Cuba’s eastern tip Sunday night. The tanker is sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cuban state media said the ship was scheduled to arrive Monday at the port of Matanzas.
U.S. pressure on Cuba — which Mr. Trump and other U.S. officials have intensified to try to prompt regime change — has sharply reduced key oil shipments and contributed to severe shortages. Island-wide blackouts, fuel scarcities and lack of basic supplies have disrupted hospitals, public transport and everyday life for many Cubans.
Experts estimate the anticipated shipment could yield about 180,000 barrels of diesel, roughly enough to meet Cuba’s daily diesel demand for nine to 10 days. Mr. Trump dismissed suggestions that allowing the delivery would meaningfully benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it “doesn’t help him. He loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is.”
“It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter,” Mr. Trump added, later saying he would prefer letting the fuel in because “the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested further action against Cuba and said the island could be “next” for U.S. moves to bring down its government. “Cuba’s a mess. It’s a failing country, and they’re going to be next,” he said. “Within a short period of time, it’s going to fail, and we will be there to help it out. We’ll be there to help our great Cuban Americans out who were thrown out of Cuba.”
The blockade has also spurred private efforts to deliver aid. Two sailboats that left Mexico as part of the Nuestra América Convoy carrying humanitarian supplies landed in Havana on Saturday after going missing following their March 20 departure. Convoy coordinator Adnaan Stumo said the boats were “never in any serious danger” but had to take a longer route to avoid bad weather.
A Mexican navy aircraft located the sailboats about 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana and helped escort them to port, the navy said on X. “We arrive with a simple but powerful message: solidarity with the Cuban people doesn’t stop at borders. It crosses oceans,” Stumo said, describing difficult conditions at sea and temporary loss of contact with coordinators and maritime authorities.