President Donald Trump said he has "no problem" with countries sending oil to Cuba, even as a Russian tanker arrives.
"If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it's Russia or not," Trump said. "Cuba is finished. They have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it's not going to matter."
"I'd prefer letting it in, whether it's Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need," he added.
The U.S. recently allowed limited sales of stranded Russian oil until April 11, excluding Cuba. Meanwhile, Russia confirmed its tanker Anatoly Kolodkin reached Matanzas with about 700,000 barrels of crude as humanitarian aid.
This is the first shipment since January after U.S. restrictions halted Venezuelan supplies and pressured Mexico to stop exports. The resulting fuel shortage caused blackouts, closures, food shortages, and inflation.
"Havana doesn't need very much oil to operate," Brett Erickson said. "The Kolodkin is carrying about two and a half weeks of oil, but that can be extended to about a month in total."
