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Oil is not strong: a Cuban delegation will arrive in Russia to discuss the supply of raw materials
In the third decade of April, a high-ranking Cuban parliamentary delegation will come to Russia to discuss, among other things, oil supplies, the State Duma told Izvestia. At the same time, Moscow intends to continue exporting fuel to the republic. The Russian side is currently loading a second tanker. The first one delivered 100,000 tons of crude oil to the island in March. Experts point out that such volumes are not enough to get Cuba out of the crisis. The Republic needs to resume imports from Venezuela and Mexico. But the United States is not allowed to do this, which threatens to invade the Caribbean republic after the end of the war in Iran.
Discussion of the second humanitarian oil supply from Russia to Cuba
Russia is preparing a second humanitarian oil supply to Cuba. According to the Ministry of Energy, the tanker is already being loaded for shipment. This will be the main topic of discussion of the interparliamentary commission of Russia and Cuba next week, Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia.
"We are discussing these issues directly with the Cuban side,— Novikov stressed. — In particular, next week we are expecting a visit from our Cuban colleagues, Cuban parliamentarians, where we will discuss a number of issues related to cooperation.
According to him, the commission has been operating for almost four years. It is headed by the Chairmen of the State Duma and the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba, Vyacheslav Volodin and Esteban Laso Hernandez. At the working level, all contacts are coordinated by Ivan Melnikov, who, as First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, maintains relations with Cuba, Venezuela, China, Vietnam, Belarus and a number of other countries.
On February 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin received in the Kremlin a Cuban delegation led by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. The last meeting of the two countries' delegations was held in St. Petersburg on April 1. Then the 23rd meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was held. It was hosted by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga.
Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Energy, Sergey Tsivilev, said that the tanker was already being loaded to Cuba. It is difficult to name the date of departure and arrival of the vessel now, Dmitry Novikov told Izvestia.
— It always takes some time: tanker maintenance, plus there are aerial threats from time to time — drones, — the parliamentarian emphasized. — No one undertakes to calculate it before the day of dispatch. Transportation by sea, against the background of all modern events, also has some risks — the possibility of delays. But it is a fact that there is a right decision to continue this work.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla during a meeting in the Kremlin. February 18, 2026
The route of a Russian tanker from the Baltic port to Cuba takes about three weeks, Yaroslav Klimov, an assistant at the Department of Humanities at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. According to him, this is a real guideline for the second delivery, although the specific port of shipment and the operational situation in the Atlantic may adjust the timing.
The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin became the first foreign vessel in 2026 to deliver oil to Cuba. There were 100 thousand tons of raw materials on board. The ship arrived at the port of Matanzas in the north of the republic.
The second delivery is likely to be comparable in volume to the previous one, Klimov added. However, even such figures do not solve the problem systematically: with pre-lock consumption of about 20 thousand tons per day and own production of only 4 thousand tons, the island's deficit is about 16 thousand tons daily. 100 thousand tons, while saving resources, cover Cuba's needs for about 20 days. For a real way out of the crisis, the country needs regular supplies of at least 400-500 thousand tons per month, the expert concluded.
The State Duma believes that Cuba needs to be helped financially.
— I argued that we must definitely help Cuba financially. I wasn't talking about oil, I was talking about giving Cuba, like Iran, a large concessional loan in order for them to cope with difficulties," State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin told Izvestia. — I said this before the beginning of the blockade of Cuba, and I stand in this position now. I believe that we must support them, no matter how difficult it may be for us.
Cubans live without electricity for up to 18 hours a day due to energy shortages. Solar panels are installed for the operation of the main facilities (hospitals, polyclinics, orphanages, banks). Nevertheless, medical institutions operate in very difficult conditions.
Energy is directed primarily to the work of vital services, such as hemodialysis. There are more than 96,000 patients on the waiting list for surgery.
To resolve the fuel crisis, it is necessary to build a transparent system of contractual supplies on mutually beneficial terms, Pavel Maryshev, a member of the expert council at the Russian Gas Society, added. According to him, next to Cuba there are traditional oil donors with optimal logistics — Mexico and Venezuela. In the future, the country may return to purchases along established corridors. But now this is hindered by Donald Trump's intention to isolate Cuba from available energy resources, the expert concluded.
The strengthening of the US blockade and the possibility of invasion of the island
The United States has been imposing sanctions on the republic for over 60 years. The last round of restrictions occurred in January 2026 after the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Donald Trump has said that Venezuela, the main fuel supplier to the island, will no longer supply oil to Cuba.
Then the American leader threatened to impose huge duties on any countries that export raw materials to the republic. The threat worked: Mexico, the second main source of oil in Cuba, has refused to supply. However, the country did not stop its support, regularly sending humanitarian aid in the form of food to the island.
Colombia also decided to support the residents of the island by sending a plane with food and medicines on March 14. This became known only in April. The Republic has already helped Cuba before. For example, in January 2023, Colombia sent 142 tons of humanitarian aid.
The United States and Cuba are currently engaged in dialogue. Washington, according to media reports, is demanding the resignation of President Miguel Diaz-Canel. At the same time, the United States does not call for the complete dismantling of the socialist system in the republic, but insists on reforms.
President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel
In early April, American Congressmen from the Democratic Party Pramila Jayapal and Jonathan Jackson arrived in Cuba for a five-day visit. They called the US strategy towards Cuba outdated and cruel, based on pressure and coercive measures that hinder the development of a new economic policy. In fact, they accused Washington of causing humanitarian damage to Cuba.
The congressmen demanded that the US authorities immediately lift the sanctions. In turn, Diaz-Canel confirmed Havana's readiness for dialogue with Washington. The leader also stressed that if the United States decides to invade the island, Cuba is ready for total mobilization. Nevertheless, on April 13, Donald Trump said that the United States could "look into" Cuba when it dealt with Iran.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
