Description: Russian oil tanker, Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under US sanctions, arrived in the Cuban port of Matanzas on Monday, delivering crucial supply of crude oil to the country. The ship, in spite of the de facto US oil embargo on Cuba, entered Cuban territorial waters uninterrupted after Trump stated that he had no issue with Russia delivering oil to Cuba. The White House then altered the public statements claiming that despite the delivery, the embargo policy on Cuba hasn’t changed. US – Cuba tensions have been historically strained due to the latter’s ties to other communist countries such as Russia and China, while recently it has become a target for the Trump’s administration due to its close ties with the former president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro and his previous administration. The island nation has experienced one of the worst energy crises in its history since Jan this year, with regular 24 – hour blackouts, struggling economy and declining living conditions.
Impact: Cuba has been positioned as a secondary foreign policy objective by the Trump administration due to the current war with Iran as the US has allowed sanctioned Russian oil to support the island’s energy infrastructure despite the energy embargo. Negotiations between the Trump administration and the administration of Cuban president Miguel Diaz – Canel are reportedly ongoing, however, entrenched political, ideological and economic faultlines still persist as major sticking points. Cuba would have a temporary respite from foreign oil deliveries, however, the country remains in a precarious position due to the US embargo and decades of sanctions which have crippled the entire nationalized economic system of the island. Russia again emerges as the largest benefactor of the crisis, shelving its oil on international markets despite sanctions.