Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsiviliov said Thursday that Russia is preparing to send a second oil ship to Cuba amid the island’s severe energy crisis caused by the U.S. embargo.
“An important meeting was held yesterday in St. Petersburg. Cuban representatives arrived. Cuba is under a total blockade; it is isolated. Where did the oil shipment come from? A Russian vessel broke the blockade. Now the second one is being loaded. We will not leave the Cubans in dire straits,” Tsiviliov said.
RUSSIAN OIL ARRIVES IN CUBA
The Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived in Cuba this week with approximately 100,000 tons of humanitarian aid oil. The vessel is currently in the port of Matanzas and unloading has already begun.
It is the first oil tanker to arrive in Cuba in three months, after the United States forced Venezuela and Mexico to cut off energy supplies to the island. Cuba has not received any oil shipments since January 9, triggering an energy crisis.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked Russia on Wednesday for its assistance. “Thank you, Russia. Thank you, President Putin. Thank you, crew of the tanker Anatoli Kolodkin, who, upon docking in a Cuban port with their valuable cargo of fuel, bring us the certainty of a friendship tested in the most difficult times, as so often throughout history,” he wrote.
The Cuban leader stated that the unloading of the ship had already begun, and that the processing, distribution, and “rational use of this shipment, which, although insufficient amid the acute shortage, will gradually alleviate the situation in the coming weeks,” would follow.
RUSSIA’S POSITION
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted that Moscow is pleased that the first shipment of Russian oil has arrived in the Caribbean nation. Peskov noted that Cuba is “under a very severe blockade” and needs petroleum products and crude oil “for the operation of life support systems in the country, to generate electricity, and to provide medical and other services to the population.”
In this context, the spokesman indicated that Russia “considers it its duty” to offer the necessary assistance to Cuba and assured that Moscow will continue working to supply more oil to the island. “We will continue working, I repeat, given the desperate situation in which the Cuban people now find themselves. This, of course, cannot leave us indifferent, so we will continue working on this matter,” he stated.
UNITED STATES THREAT TO CUBA
On January 29th, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a “national emergency” due to the alleged “unusual and extraordinary threat” that, according to Washington, Cuba poses to the security of the United States and the region. The text accuses the Cuban government of aligning itself with “numerous hostile countries,” harboring “transnational terrorist groups,” and allowing the deployment on the island of “sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities” from Russia and China.
Based on these accusations, tariffs were announced on countries that sell oil to Cuba, along with threats of retaliation against those who act against the White House executive order.
The move comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Havana, which has consistently rejected these allegations and warned that it will defend its territorial integrity. The Cuban president responded that “this new measure demonstrates the fascist, criminal, and genocidal nature of a cabal that has hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal gain.”
On March 7th, Trump announced that “a great change is coming soon to Cuba,” which, he added, is “reaching the end of the road.”
The United States has maintained an economic and commercial embargo against Cuba for more than six decades. The embargo, which severely impacts the country’s economy, has now been reinforced with numerous coercive and unilateral measures by the White House.

Through social network X, Political Bureau member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla announced on Thursday that he had spoken by telephone with “my dear friend Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia.”

In this regard, the Cuban foreign minister said that the contact was timely to continue the exchange of issues addressed during his recent visit to Moscow, “focused on promoting bilateral ties in different sectors, and we confirmed the excellent state of relations,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude for the “resolute support” expressed by his Russian counterpart for the defense of our national sovereignty and Cuba’s right to choose its own destiny.

In this regard, the foreign ministry of the Eurasian nation reported that during the dialogue, “firm support was expressed for the fraternal Cuban people in the defense of state sovereignty and the right to choose their own path of development.”

TAKING RELATIONS TO HIGHER LEVELS

Similarly, Rodríguez Parrilla referred in X to his “cordial conversation” with Comrade Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CC CPC).

“We reaffirm our willingness to continue strengthening our relations and taking them to higher levels, with the implementation of the consensus reached by Presidents Xi Jinping and Díaz-Canel,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude for the offers of assistance to the island, as well as the statements of support and solidarity, which reaffirm the special nature of the historical ties between the two socialist countries, he noted.

Finally, the head of Cuban diplomacy said that they exchanged views on the current regional and international situation and the need to defend peace, international law, and sovereignty.

About half a million dollars were raised in the United States, earmarked for solar panels and related equipment, to be donated to Cuban hospitals. While their purchase and shipment to the largest of the Antilles could have been done directly, it was not possible due to the sanctions imposed by the blockade.

This was reported on Thursday, in a conversation with the press, by Manolo De los Santos, leader of The People’s Forum, and a member of the Our America to Cuba Convoy, which brings together nearly 500 people from more than 30 countries, representing popular, progressive, revolutionary, leftist, and humanist forces, and is bringing approximately 20 tons of aid to the island.

“We’ve come not only with a shipment of aid—which is necessary, such as food and medicine for children with cancer, things that the blockade specifically prevents the Cuban government from purchasing freely—but I believe the most important thing we’re bringing is the desire to stand with the people during this very difficult time,” he asserted, knowing that, “if we turn our backs on Cuba, we would be turning our backs on humanity.”

For her part, Italian MEP Ilaria Salis emphasized that her country votes every year at the UN in favor of lifting the blockade against “this nation that resists fierce imperialism.” So being here is also a way to reaffirm that position, which is that of her people.

On the other hand, she noted that being part of the Convoy has not been without blackmail and threats, such as the fact that many had their U.S. visas canceled. Nevertheless, her decision has been firm.

This is the first time that MEP Emma Fourreau has visited Cuba. For her, she said, it is a duty and an honor, because the Cuban Revolution and solidarity are an inspiration to the world. “In the face of imperialism, the answer is friendship and solidarity,” she affirmed.

The consequences of choosing a path different from that of the empire have been evident in recent days, both inside and outside hospitals and other social institutions, stated MEP Marc Botenga. Due to the criminal nature of the blockade, “what is happening now in Cuba is not limited to Cuba. It is something much deeper. It concerns the very foundations of the world we want. What kind of world order do we desire?” he asked.

“Do we accept a world order that, essentially, takes us back to the days of traditional colonialism? It is unacceptable,” he stated, “because that would destroy ‘the hope for a different society.’ Cuba has shown us, in various areas—and healthcare is undoubtedly one of the best examples—that through political decisions, a different society can be created.”

The name of the Convoy, explained David Adler, coordinator of the Progressive International and one of the organizers of this solidarity initiative, is derived from that seminal work by José Martí, which reminds us that this region belongs to its peoples, not to the Yankee empire.

He further noted that the objective of “Our America to Cuba” is also to reaffirm international solidarity with the country’s struggle for self-determination, the most sacred principle of international law.

“We are dozens and dozens of delegates, but we represent millions of people in this convoy,” he noted, “and we are also here to forge an international front of solidarity with Cuba.”

In that regard, he announced that a small flotilla of three ships carrying more solidarity aid for the largest of the Antilles is expected to arrive, and he called for participation in the events on March 21th, when the International Day of Solidarity with Cuba will be celebrated.