Russian Ambassador Announced Continued Oil Supplies to Cuba, Despite Trump's Tariff Threats
Russia has repeatedly supplied oil to Cuba in recent years and does not intend to abandon new deliveries, stated Russian Ambassador to the republic, Viktor Koronelli.
Illustrative photo. Photo: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
"We proceed from the fact that this practice [oil export to Cuba] will continue," the diplomat said in an interview with "RIA Novosti".
The Russian representative's statement came after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing the imposition of additional tariffs on goods from countries that directly or indirectly supply oil to Cuba. However, the specific amount of potential duties was not specified in the document. At the same time, Trump declared a state of emergency in the US due to a threat to national security from Cuba, recalls Moscow Times.
Earlier, the American president repeatedly stated that Cuba was "very close to collapse" and "about to collapse" because it had lost oil supplies from Venezuela and the associated revenues. Politico sources in the Trump administration noted that Washington intends to seek a change of regime in Cuba, including through a blockade of oil imports.
At the end of January, Kpler calculated that, at the current level of demand and its own negligible oil production, the republic could last another 15-20 days without fuel imports.
Against this backdrop, the Trump administration began actively searching within the Cuban government for a figure who could help overthrow the current authorities by the end of 2026.
According to Washington strategists, Cuba's economy is "on the verge of collapse" after losing Venezuela's support, and the government has never been so vulnerable. In search of a suitable candidate, US representatives are meeting with Cuban emigrants in Miami and Washington. However, as the WSJ noted, the White House currently has no concrete plan for regime change in Cuba.
Russia, in turn, dispatched a heavy military transport aircraft Il-76, typically used for transferring military equipment, to Cuba. After the plane's arrival in the republic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to continue "providing necessary political and material support" to Havana, which is under pressure from the Trump administration.