The Cuban regime should not think that its troubles are coming to an end just because Cuba is now receiving 100,000 tons of oil. That is the message from US President Donald Trump.
He predicts that the US blockade of Cuba will bring down the communist regime in Cuba's capital, Havana, but he has nevertheless eased the oil blockade. On Monday, the Russian tanker "Anatoly Kolodkin" arrived in Cuba with 100,000 tons of crude oil, and it will land on dry land.
Since the US attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Cuba has not received oil from Venezuela, which has otherwise been the island state's oil supplier. Trump has threatened countries that supply oil to Cuba with high tariffs, so an oil blockade has effectively been imposed on Cuba.
But then the "Anatoly Kolodkin" sailed towards Cuba. It left Primorsk in Russia on March 8. As it sailed through the English Channel, it was escorted by a Russian naval vessel, but the two ships separated in the Atlantic, the British navy said, according to AFP.
The tanker had crossed the Atlantic on Monday. According to the Russian news agency Tass, the ship was off the port of Matanzas in Cuba, waiting to be unloaded with what Russia describes as "humanitarian aid."
Trump does not believe that Cuba's President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, should rejoice too soon. Because according to the American president, the oil will not save his regime.
- If a country wants to send oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem with it. Whether it's Russia or not, Trump said Monday night Danish time on board his presidential plane, according to Reuters.
- Cuba is finished. They have a bad regime. They have a very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether they get a boat with oil or not, it doesn't make any difference. I prefer to let it through, whether it's Russian or not, because people need heating and cooling and all the other things you need.
Russia: Important to help friends
In Moscow, the Russian capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the tanker was allowed to pass after negotiations between Russia and the United States. Peskov added that Russia felt a duty to help "friends" in Cuba. If the Russians have their way, Cuba should have more oil.
- We will continue the work, Peskov said in response to a question about whether Russia will send more oil to Cuba.
- We cannot be indifferent to the desperate situation that the Cubans are now in. That is why we will continue to work on this matter.
AFP writes that it will probably take 15-20 days to get the oil ashore. Then the refineries will have to spend five to ten days getting usable products such as diesel out of the oil, says Jorge Pinon, an expert on Cuba's energy sector at the University of Texas in Austin.
- The biggest need in Cuba today is diesel, he says.
Pinon further says that the tanker's oil can be converted into 250,000 tons of diesel, and in normal times that is enough for Cuba's diesel consumption for 12.5 days. Now the government must decide what the oil will be used for, and there are plenty of sectors that are thirsty for diesel. This includes power generators, buses, tractors, trains and ships.
/ritzau/
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