Russia has confirmed it will continue supporting Cuba and expand fuel deliveries to the island, signaling its intent to maintain a strategic presence in the Western Hemisphere despite pressure from the United States.
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According to Reuters on April 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov made the statement following talks in Havana, emphasizing that Moscow does not intend to scale back its engagement with Cuba. “Russia cannot betray Cuba,” Ryabkov said, adding that the island’s energy needs are now a central priority for cooperation between the two countries.
Ryabkov also indicated that recent oil shipments are only the beginning of broader support measures. “It is too early to say what the next steps will be. But it is clear that we will not limit our supplies to the cargo that was on board the tanker ‘Anatoly Kolodkin’,” he said.
The tanker, which arrived in Cuba in March, delivered approximately 730,000 barrels of oil. Analysts cited by Reuters estimate that volume could cover the island’s needs for roughly 20 days.
According to Reuters, Moscow has framed its actions as part of a longer-term effort to help Cuba address the effects of US sanctions and structural energy deficits. Russian officials have not disclosed specific future steps but confirmed that additional measures are under consideration.
At the same time, Russian officials dismissed US efforts to limit Moscow’s influence in Latin America. Ryabkov said Russia does not plan to withdraw from the region, stating that Washington is “obsessed” with pushing Russia and China out of the Western Hemisphere.
According to The New York Times on March 29, the United States previously allowed a Russian government-owned tanker carrying around 730,000 barrels of oil to proceed to Cuba, despite broader restrictions on fuel supplies to the island.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump said, “I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that. Whether it’s Russia or not.”
The decision was enabled by a temporary US Treasury license permitting deliveries of Russian oil already in transit, a measure officials described as limited in scope and aimed at stabilizing global energy markets.
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