Russian tanker nears Cuba, defying US oil blockade

A Russian oil tanker under US sanctions is scheduled to arrive in Cuba on Monday, challenging a de facto American fuel blockade of the energy-starved island, shipping data shows.The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, was north of Haiti on Sunday as it headed towards the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Cuba lost its main regional ally and oil supplier in January when US forces captured Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.US President Donald Trump subsequently threatened to impose tariffs on any country sending oil to Cuba and has mused about “taking” the communist-ruled island.Jorge Pinon, an expert on Cuba’s energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, said he was surprised the United States did not try to intercept the Russian tanker before it got so close to Cuba.“I think now the chances that the United States will

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