Russian oil tanker nears Cuba despite US sanctions as Trump says he sees “no problem”

A Russian oil tanker is expected to arrive in Cuba on Tuesday despite US sanctions, in a move seen as a challenge to the long-standing American embargo on the island, which is facing a severe energy shortage, according to shipping data.

The US President, Donald Trump, said on Sunday he saw “no problem” with the tanker’s passage.

The vessel, Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying around 730,000 barrels of crude oil, was located north of Haiti on Sunday and heading towards the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, according to maritime data analytics firm Kpler.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from Florida, US President Trump said he had no objection to the shipment.

“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem. I prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need,” he said.

The US President added: “Cuba’s finished, they have a bad regime, they have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil it’s not going to matter.”

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