HAVANA, April 1. /TASS/. The arrival in Cuba of Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin carrying 100,000 tons of oil as humanitarian aid is not only a symbolic act of solidarity but also practical evidence that Russia is ready to support the island, Yosmany Fernandez Pacheco, a history professor at Cuba’s Higher Institute of International Relations, told a TASS correspondent.
"For Cuba, receiving fuel on this tanker is not so much an opportunity to ease the difficult energy situation in the country, in any case not for long," the expert said. "But [the tanker’s arrival] is a very important step, which has dealt a serious blow to the blockade [of the island imposed] by the United States," he noted. According to the professor, this is also shown by recent, more flexible statements by US President Donald Trump regarding possible fuel supplies to Cuba. On March 29, Trump said, in particular, that the United States does not object to occasional oil deliveries to Cuba on humanitarian grounds by Russia and other countries.
"Of course, the tanker’s arrival is an important element in the context of acts of solidarity with Cuba now being demonstrated by various countries, primarily by Mexico," Fernandez Pacheco said. "But it is also proof that Russia is not only ready to support Cuba in words, but also to provide practical assistance." "And this is an important signal for other countries to join in condemning the blockade of Cuba," he added, referring to actions by "certain governments in Latin America that are ready to serve the US government and follow its policy of a criminal blockade against Cuba."
"Moreover, this tanker symbolically reflects the weight that has always existed and continues to exist in Russian-Cuban relations in the international context. Relations that have existed regardless of time and distance," the expert said. "In the case of Russia, we are talking about a country that has always supported Cuba and has always respected its sovereign decisions," Fernandez Pacheco added, noting that, in Latin America and the Caribbean, Moscow has always given priority to relations with Havana. "And this recent action, the dispatch of this oil tanker to Cuba, which had not received fuel supplies for several months, once again proves that the Russian government is not only ready to condemn the criminal blockade but also to take action," the professor said. "And the Cuban people are very grateful to Russia for such solidarity," he emphasized.
On tanker’s arrival in Cuba
The Russian oil tanker Anatoly Koldkin with humanitarian cargo arrived at Cuba’s port of Matanzas on March 31 and is currently unloading. Russian Ambassador to Cuba Viktor Koronelli noted in a comment to TASS that the tanker "delivering 100,000 tons of oil to our friends" reached Cuba "amid unprecedented pressure and threats against Havana from the United States."
The situation in Cuba sharply worsened in late January, after the United States announced measures aimed at blocking all oil supplies to the island. The energy situation became critical. In March, the national power grid failed three times, most recently on March 21, resulting in long periods of power outages across the country. Cuba is experiencing severe shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as shortages of food and medications.
Several foreign airlines have announced the suspension of their flights to the republic due to a lack of aviation kerosene, or jet fuel, at its airports.