St. Petersburg, 02 April (H.S.):

Russia has again described Cuba as a “strategic partner,” underscoring that Moscow’s support for the island nation will continue, especially at a time when Havana is grappling with a severe energy crisis.

Quoting the Russian state news agency TASS, Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin told reporters on the sidelines of an international transport and logistics forum that Cuba is a strategic partner of Russia and that assistance to the country will remain ongoing. Nikitin stressed that Russia operates in line with international maritime law, and that its vessels sail under the Russian flag, carrying humanitarian supplies to Cuba.

He added that there is no legal basis for blocking these ship movements, calling free navigation a fundamental principle of the global economy. Nikitin noted that the Russian‑flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying about 100,000 tonnes of fuel as humanitarian cargo, had already reached Cuba.

Havana’s fuel situation worsened after the United States launched a military operation in Venezuela on January 3 aimed at removing President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela had long been one of Cuba’s main oil‑exporting partners. On January 29, Washington issued an executive order that allowed the US to impose tariffs on goods from countries supplying oil to Cuba, tightening the constraints on energy flows to the island.

Despite this, it has been reported that the US does not object to occasional humanitarian oil shipments to Cuba from Russia and other countries, provided they are framed as assistance rather than regular commercial trade. Cuban officials have publicly thanked Moscow for the recent fuel deliveries, calling them vital amid the ongoing energy‑supply blockade.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar