As of the 12th February, Russian airlines such as Rossiya Airlines are set to focus solely on outbound flights from Cuba, for a quick and efficient evacuation of Russian tourists, with around 4,000 people still waiting for flights home.
This is a direct result of Trump’s oil blockade – Mexico stopped exports of oil at the beginning of January due to pressure from Washington, and in the following weeks sanctions in Venezuela has stopped Cuba’s access to crude oil. At the beginning of February, Trump signed an executive order placing extra tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has declared Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and is set on a proxy attack on Cuba’s tourist industry. All future tourist packages have been suspended until further notice, with two hotels now being closed on the peninsula. Other international planes are forced to reroute to other Caribbean airports, with Canada putting a temporary stop to flights to the island.
This is an issue that hits close to home for long-time ally Russia, who has many state employees travel to Cuba each year, as one of the limited locations they are permitted to spend their holidays in. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, separately said Moscow stood in solidarity with Cuba and was “ready to provide our friends with all necessary support together with other like-minded partners”. Russia and Cuba have been increasingly involved over the last few years, with thousands of Cubans fighting in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
In spite of the potential further impact on railroads, agriculture and daily life that Trump’s oil tariffs will cause, Russia is not going out of its way to supply Cuba with what it needs. Trump’s initiative is an immediate attack on the tourist industry, but in long-term interest, Cubans are calling for a re-evaluation of their supposed hostility.
