Putin risks Trump's wrath as ships prepare to set sail to Cuba

 Russia will continue to ferry oil to Cuba as the Caribbean island faces a fuel chokehold imposed by Washington.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the news of the oil shipments on Wednesday.

Lavrov's announcement comes two weeks after Moscow sent a tanker of nearly 700,000 barrels of crude oil to the nation.

Washington staved off Cuba's oil supply after the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro at the beginning of the year.

The dramatic military campaign left a ripple effect on Cuba as Washington blocked oil exports from Venezuela, Cuba's main oil supplier. The move triggered acute fuel shortages across the island, which is home to approximately 11 million people.

Mexico, which also supplies Cuba with oil, has also ceased its shipments.

Furthermore, President Trump has threatened to impose crushing tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba and has recently reignited his threats to invade the country.

The U.S. did allow Russia to send oil to Cuba for the first time in 2026 for humanitarian reasons.

During a visit to China, Lavrov said Russia will send humanitarian aid to Cuba.

"We have dispatched the first tanker with 100,000 tonnes (700,000 barrels) of oil for Cuba. Of course, this will probably last for a couple of months - I'm not a specialist," he said at the end of the two-day visit, Reuters reported.

"But I have no doubt that we will continue providing such assistance, and that (China) will, of course, continue to take part in this cooperation as well," added Lavrov. Lavrov didn't address whether the U.S. would grant permission for future deliveries.

The news of oil on its way to Cuba comes as President Trump has reignited his idea of interfering with the Cuban government, despite the ongoing conflict in Iran continuing to escalate.

During a press conference on Monday outside the Oval Office, the president was asked what prompted the change when he announced that he was okay with counties sending fuel to Cuba. However, it appeared that the president was still ready to invade the island country.

"Well, we're going to see with Cuba," the president said as he clutched two bags of McDonald's. "Cuba's another story," he added.

Trump then proclaimed that Cuba has been a "terribly run country for a long time" and that it had a "bad system." He added, "It's been very oppressive, as you know, and we have a lot of great Cuban Americans, all of whom just about voted for me."