Trump changes strategy on Cuba energy embargo, to allow Russian tanker to dock

Three months after establishing a crippling energy blockade, Trump said he has "no problem" with countries sending Cuba oil

By The Foreign Desk Staff

Published: March 30, 2026 1:53am

President Donald Trump said he would reverse course on the U.S.-led energy embargo, allowing a sanctioned Russian tanker to enter Cuban waters where it will be able to dock on Monday.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he had “no problem” with any country sending crude oil to Cuba, which has faced nationwide blackouts and has seen its economy grind to a halt amid a de facto blockade imposed by the U.S.

After the U.S. arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, the U.S. halted oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba, and Trump promised to punish any country that sent crude oil to Cuba. Mexico, which had been Cuba’s second-biggest supplier after Venezuela, immediately halted shipments.

On Sunday, Trump appeared to reverse course.

“If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with that, whether it's Russia or not,” the president said