JAKARTA - Russia has confirmed that it will continue to help Cuba after a Russian-flagged tanker sent the country's first crude oil supplies in the last three months. Citing Aljazeera, Thursday, April 2, this statement came as Cuba was still stuck in an energy crisis and Moscow was again pressing the United States to lift the energy blockade against Havana.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Cuba is a close friend and partner of Russia in the Caribbean region. Therefore, according to Zakharova, Moscow will not abandon the island country. He also stated that Russia stands with Cuba and demands that the US lift the blockade against the country which it calls independent and sovereign.
The statement came a day after the administration of US President Donald Trump allowed the Anatoly Kolodkin to continue sailing even though Washington's energy blockade against Cuba was still in effect. The Aframax-type tanker entered Matanzas Bay, Cuba's largest supertanker port and fuel storage facility, carrying 730,000 barrels of oil after a three-week journey from Russia.
According to Aljazeera's report, Cuba has been experiencing an energy crisis since January after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been a Cuban ally as well as one of its main oil suppliers, was ousted. The situation made Cuba lose one of its important energy supply sources.
The crisis has triggered repeated power outages in the country of 10 million people. The impact extends to hospitals, public transport, and agricultural production, which is said to be close to a paralysis point.
The arrival of the ship was welcomed positively in Cuba, including by the Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy. He expressed his gratitude to the Russian government and people for the support provided in the midst of a complicated energy situation.
Trump previously said he did not mind the delivery of Russian oil to Cuba and said the ship was allowed to pass on humanitarian grounds. Aljazeera reported that Trump also launched a harsh criticism of the Cuban government and stated that one oil ship would not change much.
Even so, this supply gives Havana a temporary breath. Cuba is currently only able to produce about 40 percent of its fuel needs and still relies on imports to support the national energy network. Experts estimate that the ship's cargo can be processed into about 180,000 barrels of solar, enough to meet Cuba's daily needs for nine to 10 days.
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