An old Soviet-era Lada car passes behind a truck belonging to a private Cuban company (Mipime) parked in front of a gas station with isotanks of imported fuel in Havana on March 19, 2026.
Adalberto Roque AFP | getty images
The US Treasury Department has said Cuba will not be allowed to take deliveries of Russian crude, even as the fuel-starved island is set to receive two tankers carrying oil and gas.
one in general license Published on Thursday, the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Cuba to the list of countries that will be blocked from transactions involving the sale, delivery or offloading of crude or petroleum products originating from Russia.
The United States last week temporarily authorized the purchase of stranded Russian oil as part of an effort to stabilize energy markets amid the US and Israel-led war over Iran. The short-term measure suspended sanctions that were first imposed on Moscow following a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The update comes as maritime intelligence providers are tracking two tankers carrying Russian oil and gas headed for Cuba.
Beset by blackouts and a worsening economic crisis under the US oil blockade, the communist-run Caribbean island is currently facing its biggest test since the fall of the Soviet Union. US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he felt it would be “honoured” to capture Havana in some form.
Russia, which has been an ally of Cuba for decades, has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s fuel blockade Mortgage To provide “necessary assistance including financial assistance” to the country.
According to maritime intelligence firm Windward, the tanker Sea Horse is one of the Cuba-bound ships. Hong Kong flag ship estimated Carrying approximately 190,000 barrels of Russian gasoil and tracking suggests it may be prepared to deliver its cargo in the coming days.
An analysis published Wednesday by Windward found that the tanker engaged in deceptive shipping practices, including turning off its location transponder (or AIS “spoofing”) during oil transfers, and lacked Western insurance, which Windward says indicates avoidance of potential sanctions.
A second Russian-flagged oil tanker, the sanctioned Anatoly Kolodkin, is also believed to be headed to Cuba carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, maritime analytics firm Kpler said on Wednesday. AFP. CNBC has contacted Kepler and is awaiting response.
The shipment represents US defiance, given that Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on any country that supplies it with oil. The Kremlin had previously ignored Trump’s tariff threats, stating that there is “not much trade right now” between Washington and Moscow.
The Russian patrol ship Neustrakhimi arrives at the port of Havana, July 27, 2024, as part of a fleet composed of the training ship Smolny and the offshore oil tanker Yelnya. The Russian fleet will remain at the island from 27–30 July.
Yamil lage | AFP | getty images
Cuba was heavily dependent on Venezuelan oil, but it has been effectively cut off since early January when the US launched an extraordinary military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has called the Cuban government “an unusual and extraordinary threat” and suggested the US might set its sights on Cuba after the Iran war.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Wednesday criticized “almost daily” threats from the United States and promised to meet the Trump administration’s move to cut off the island’s fuel supplies with “unwavering resistance.”
— CNBC’s Lim Hui Jie contributed to this report.
