US will reportedly allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba amid blockade

The U.S. is reportedly permitting the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin to discharge crude oil at Cuba's Matanzas port, according to a U.S. official, marking what would be Cuba's first significant oil import in more than two months. The vessel, carrying approximately 650,000 barrels of Urals crude from Russia's Primorsk port, entered Cuba's exclusive economic zone on Sunday and is on course to unload if it maintains its current trajectory. The move represents a notable shift in U.S. enforcement of its longtime embargo against Cuba and suggests Washington is allowing Russian energy supplies to reach the island despite longstanding restrictions on Cuban commerce. Cuba has faced severe fuel shortages in recent months, forcing rolling blackouts and constraining its already fragile economy. The decision underscores the complex geopolitical calculus surrounding U.S.-Cuba relations and Russian energy exports during a period of heightened U.S.-Russia tensions.