/update - adds background/

MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Russia would not want an escalation in the form of US tariffs over Moscow’s aid to Cuba, but Russian-American trade is now virtually at zero anyway, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing.

"We would not want any escalation, but, on the other hand, we currently don't have much trade [with the US], that is the reality," he said.

The United States has renewed its blockade of Cuba, declaring its intention to overthrow the republic's communist government by various means. In particular, Washington has imposed an embargo on all fuel supplies, which are already in short supply on the island. Earlier, the United States succeeded in halting oil supplies to Cuba from Mexico and Venezuela, with American forces even kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro in the latter.

To further aggravate the situation, the US administration announced its intention to impose proportional import duties on goods from countries that dare to supply Cuba with fuel. Nevertheless, the Russian Embassy in Havana announced that Moscow would soon begin delivering oil and petroleum products as humanitarian aid.