In a license issued on Thursday, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Cuba to the list of countries banned from transactions involving Russian oil. The ban covers the sale, delivery and unloading of petroleum products originating from Russia.
Read also: Donald Trump wants to take over this country. Now it is facing an energy crisis
Meanwhile, despite the sanctions in force, tankers carrying Russian oil and gas are heading towards Cuba, which is causing tensions in the international arena.
Russian tankers on course to Cuba
According to Windward, the Sea Horse tanker, flying the Hong Kong flag, is carrying approximately 190,000. barrels of Russian diesel oil. The ship uses concealment techniques, such as turning off location transponders, which may indicate an attempt to circumvent sanctions. There was even unofficial information that he managed to unload the load.
The second tanker, Anatoly Kolodkin, under the Russian flag, has 730,000 tons on board. barrels of crude oil. Kpler reported that the ship was also heading towards the island.
The United States warned that countries supplying oil to Cuba may be subject to additional tariffs. The Kremlin responded to these threats by emphasizing that trade relations between Russia and the US are currently minimal.
Cuba facing a crisis
Cuba has been struggling with energy problems for years, and the current situation is the most difficult since the fall of the Soviet Union. The island was previously heavily dependent on oil supplies from Venezuela, but the American military operation against the government of Nicolás Maduro almost completely cut off Cuba from this source.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel sharply criticized the Trump administration's actions, describing them as an attempt to strangle the country. On Wednesday, he announced that his government would respond to US sanctions with “steadfast resistance.” In turn, Cuba's deputy foreign minister, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, emphasized that the Cuban political system is not subject to negotiations with the US. “Cuba's position is clear and unchanging,” he said at a news conference in Havana.
The United States, describing the Cuban government as an “extraordinary threat”, suggests that after the conflict with Iran ends, it may focus its attention on the Caribbean island. President Trump announced that it would be an “honor” to capture Havana, further exacerbating tensions in the region.
