ST. PETERSBURG, April 1. /TASS/. Cuba is a strategic partner for Russia and support for the country will continue, Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin told reporters on the sidelines of the International Transport and Logistics Forum.

"Cuba is our strategic partner, we supported it, we support it, and we will continue to support it," he said.

The minister noted that Russia acts in full compliance with international maritime law. "Our vessels sail under the Russian flag, and they delivered humanitarian cargo to Cuba. There can be no grounds for restricting navigation. This is a fundamental principle of the global economy," Nikitin stressed.

Earlier, the Russian Transport Ministry reported that the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin carrying a humanitarian cargo of 100,000 tons of oil had arrived in Cuba.

The fuel situation in Havana worsened after the US conducted a military operation in Venezuela on January 3 to capture President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela had been one of the main oil exporters to Cuba. On January 29, an executive order was signed in the United States under which Washington may impose duties on goods from countries supplying oil to Cuba. It was also previously reported that the United States does not object to periodic humanitarian oil supplies to Cuba from Russia and other countries.