Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced on Wednesday that Russia will continue providing essential oil supplies to fuel-starved Cuba. This follows Moscow’s recent delivery of approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil to the Caribbean island nation.
The United States halted oil exports from its main ally Venezuela after capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, leading to severe fuel shortages across the communist-ruled island with a population of nearly 11 million people.
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries sending crude oil to Cuba as he seeks to pressure the government. However, the US later allowed the Russian delivery this year’s first from Moscow for humanitarian reasons.
Another significant supplier, Mexico, ceased its shipments.
Lavrov, during a visit to China, stated that Russia will provide humanitarian aid to Cuba, its long-standing ally. “We have dispatched the first tanker with 100,000 tons (700,000 barrels) of oil for Cuba,” he said at the end of his two-day visit. However, Lavrov added that this assistance would likely last for a couple of months without specifying future deliveries.
Cuba produces less than a third of its required oil supply. The Trump administration has stated it will review further oil shipments to Cuba on a case-by-case basis. Lavrov expressed hope that the US would not return to times of “colonial wars.”