Trump eases pressure on Cuba, opens door to "case-by-case" oil shipments

After months of sustained policy pressure against the Cuban regime, President Donald Trump gave an unexpected sign of softening the energy siege against the island: allowing a Russian oil tanker to enter Cuba.

The decision marks a turnaround, at least partially, in what until now had been a progressive hardening of pressure against the Castro regime, which has acknowledged ongoing talks with Washington.

Since January, the White House has blocked virtually all fuel shipments to Cuba as part of a strategy to force concessions from the communist regime. Trump himself had made it clear on social networks: "THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA — ZERO!"

However, the arrival of a Russian ship loaded with crude oil changed the tone. Asked about the episode, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt avoided talking about a structural change but did introduce the variant of flexibility on the part of the U.S.

"It will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or otherwise, but there’s been no firm change in our sanctions policy," Leavitt said.

That phrase reflects the new balance Washington is trying to apply: to maintain pressure on the Cuban regime without aggravating a humanitarian crisis that is already visible, profound and extremely complex.

Although Cuba has been going through a deep energy crisis and shortages for years, the energy siege has contributed to the constant blackouts and collapse of basic services in recent months.

In that context, Trump himself seemed to justify the exception to the Russian oil tanker with a more pragmatic tone than in previous weeks.

“We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload, because they need to—they have to survive. It wouldn’t bother me,” Trump said Sunday. He added, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it. Whether it’s Russia or not.”

Despite these words, Trump has insisted that Cuba will have regime change very soon, in tune with his previous statements about taking the island in a "friendly way."

The pressure on Cuba comes after the US captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who now faces criminal proceedings in New York for narcoterrorism in January. Maduro was Cuba's most important ally in the region and, perhaps, the world. Since the White House tutelage of Venezuela's interim leader, Chavista leader Delcy Rodriguez, Caracas has curbed crude oil shipments to Havana.