During his visit to Russia, Pérez-Oliva secured promises of support from Putin’s government
14ymedio, Havana, April 2, 2026 – Moscow is preparing a second shipment of crude oil to Cuba following the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin, authorized by the United States after three months of an oil blockade on the Island, reported Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsiviliov this Thursday.
“A Russian vessel broke the blockade. Now the second is being loaded. We will not abandon the Cubans,” Tsiviliov told local press at an energy forum held in the city of Kazan.
The minister noted that the decision was made after a meeting held in St. Petersburg with Cuban representatives.
Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, is on an official visit to Russia, where he is trying to present Cuba as an attractive economic partner and is seeking Moscow’s support to ease its energy deficit.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko stated that the immediate goal is to alleviate the fuel shortage
At the meeting of the Cuba-Russia Intergovernmental Commission, Moscow reaffirmed that it will continue to support the Island economically. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko indicated that the immediate goal is to ease the fuel shortage.
Chernyshenko also stated that once fuel supply in Cuba is normalized, direct flights will be fully restored, with the aim of recovering previous tourism levels.
Both sides also discussed pharmaceutical projects, including the shipment of supplies from Russia and an agreement between the Russian company Prommed and the Center for Molecular Immunology to develop cancer vaccines.
These efforts are accompanied by plans to export food, reactivate a vehicle assembly plant, and create a taxi service in Havana using Russian cars, as part of a broader cooperation agenda.
Pérez-Oliva said of this bilateral cooperation, “it is the most sustainable way we have to collaborate in the energy sector.”
The tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, sanctioned by the United States and the European Union and loaded with 100,000 tons of crude oil, arrived in Cuba this week, marking the first oil shipment to the Island since January 9, when Mexico sent a fuel tanker.
U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed Moscow’s delivery of crude oil to Cuba, saying it would have no impact on the Island’s current situation
Energy specialist Jorge Piñón of the University of Texas noted that as of this Thursday there are four Cuban-flagged tankers in Matanzas, “all candidates to provide shipping service to Havana for the Russian Ural crude transported by the Anatoly Kolodkin.”
He added that “the tanker Vilma may be carrying out a ship-to-ship transfer in Matanzas, thereby shortening operation time by avoiding onshore storage tanks. This tanker could load an approximate maximum of 400,000 barrels.” According to Piñón, “it cannot be ruled out that all the crude aboard the Anatoly Kolodkin is destined for Havana; it must also be considered that the Cienfuegos refinery remains in play.”
U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed Moscow’s delivery of crude oil to Cuba, saying it would have no impact on the Island’s current situation.
“It doesn’t bother me (…), they have a bad regime, they have bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they receive a ship of oil, it doesn’t matter,” the president said. A White House spokesperson even described it as a “humanitarian” decision.
For his part, President Díaz-Canel thanked Vladimir Putin for the shipment of crude and announced that “work is already underway on unloading, then processing, distribution, and the rational use of this shipment, which, although insufficient amid the acute shortage, will gradually ease the situation in the coming weeks.”
Cuba requires about 100,000 barrels per day to meet its energy needs, of which fewer than 40,000 come from domestic production and can only be used in thermoelectric plants, since it is very heavy crude that cannot be refined on the Island. The inability to meet the remaining demand has resulted in prolonged daily blackouts and the near-total paralysis of the country’s economy.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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