The Kremlin announced that it was discussing with Cuba, an ally of Moscow, ways to help the island, which is under an oil blockade by the US, but refused to comment on the information about a secret supply of Russian diesel fuel, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by bTA.
"We are in constant contact with the Cuban authorities, with our Cuban friends, and are discussing with them ways to help Cuba in the difficult situation it is in", said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily media briefing “That's all I can say on the matter", he added.
According to the maritime transport tracking service "Windward" (Windward) Oil tanker prepares to deliver secret Russian diesel fuel to Cuba within days if it can reach the island.
The Hong Kong-flagged and sanctions-free Seahorse is carrying an estimated 190,000 barrels of Russian diesel fuel loaded from another ship off the coast of Cyprus in early February, according to Windward.
Cuba has not imported oil since January 9, the date of the last delivery from Mexico, before supplies were cut off under pressure from US President Donald Trump.
The US has blocked energy supplies to Cuba since it arrested the island's main ally, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, in January.
A Russian oil tanker, which is on a Western sanctions list and is carrying more than 700,000 barrels of oil, is also heading for Cuba, according to reports from the maritime tracking platform “Kpler“.
The US government, which recently eased its sanctions on Russian oil imports, stressed yesterday that it still prohibits the supply of hydrocarbons from Russia to Cuba.
Western sanctions on Russian oil were imposed to cut off resources for Moscow, which is at war with Ukraine. Moscow and Havana, which have cooperated closely since the Soviet era, have strengthened their ties since Russia launched its large-scale offensive against Ukraine in 2022.
In February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in Moscow of Russia's “solidarity“ with Cuba in the context of the US oil embargo, without disclosing any specific measures.