Opinion: Russian Oil Delivery to Cuba Befuddles Cuban American Hardliners
Trump is making life extremely difficult for Cuban American hardliners
Recently, the U.S. “allowed” a Russian oil tanker to deliver about 730,000 barrels of oil to Cuba, providing some relief to the island. At least that’s President Donald Trump’s story. He also stated that he has “no problem” with oil deliveries to Cuba while still referring to its government as a “bad regime.” On the surface, this appears to signal a policy shift. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt squashed that idea, saying that deliveries are decided on a case-by-case basis and that Trump allowed the Russian oil shipment for humanitarian reasons.
She added that the U.S. “still reserves the right to seize vessels.”
“This is not a policy change; there has not been a formal change in sanction policy,” Leavitt said. “As the president said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis,” Leavitt continued. “Cuba’s non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic, political, and leadership change, but there has been no formal change.”
For someone like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Cuban American hardliners, the shipment was likely to have stirred some confusion. In the lead-up to the tanker entering Cuban waters, Rubio was vocal about supporting the oil blockade, suggesting it provided a “strategic window” to collapse Cuba’s government. Since the story about the Russian oil tanker broke, Rubio and other hardliners have downplayed the significance of the Russian oil delivery, saying it will only last about 10 days. They also suggest that the delivery shows the U.S. isn’t being “punitive” toward the Cuban people.
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This seemingly developing and overly complex narrative ignores that the Russian oil tanker headed to Cuba had been public knowledge for weeks. Despite all the tough talk from the White House, the tanker continued chugging along. Did Putin call Trump’s bluff? Or was the decision a result of their not-so-secret friendly relationship? It’s likely a combination of factors, including the complex geopolitical implications of seizing a state-owned Russian tanker. But the story coming from hardliners after Trump seemingly ignored their wishes seems excessively complicated. Foreign affairs can often be messy in the background, but this doesn’t appear to be that.
This feels like hardliners scrambling for a unified story. One that helps them maintain their hardliner stance, rationalizing how Trump seemingly continues to ignore them. Trump has always been a wild card, but as he ages, he’s becoming even more of one, and that makes him dangerous. He’s being advised by sycophants who never push back or provide any advice that moves him away from unilateral dictatorial actions at home and abroad. Cuban Americans are finding out that he doesn’t care about them in myriad ways, including mass deportations.
On Friday, after a meeting with the G7 in France, Rubio spoke with reporters. When asked about Trump suggesting that a change in Cuba’s president and some economic concessions would satisfy Trump, Rubio attempted to push back. However, in doing so, he ignored that Trump had suggested multiple times that he would accept Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez’s resignation, along with various economic concessions, particularly around Cuba’s tourism industry, to begin lifting sanctions – a major contradiction to what hardliners seek.
“No, there’s a lot of fake – all right, any – any – no, no, no, no, no. Any reporting on Cuba that you didn’t get from me or the President is a liar,” Rubio said.
When asked again about whether he would accept an economic deal with the Castro family remaining in place, Rubio jumped into overdrive with his standard narrative that overlooks the U.S.’s involvement in making life so hard for Cubans. Presumably because of the broad negative feedback about the naval blockade of oil deliveries to Cuba, he argued that there was no blockade, much like Cuban Americans argue there’s no economic embargo in Cuba.
“No, no, of course not. Plus, we talked about it in the G7, okay? Everybody talks about these blackouts. Cuba has been having blackouts all of last year, all the year before,” Rubio said. “There isn’t a naval blockade surrounding Cuba. The reason why Cuba doesn’t have oil and fuel is because they want it for free. And people don’t give away oil and fuel for free on a regular basis, unless it was the Soviet Union subsidizing them or Maduro subsidizing them,” Rubio continued. “They just don’t do it. They may get a shipment here or there, or now and then someone, but not enough to sustain their country, okay? So the reason why they’re having – that’s why they don’t have fuel,” Rubio said. “And the reason why they’re having blackouts is because they have equipment from the 1950s and ’60s that they never maintained or kept up, okay?”
While they say Trump “allowed” an oil tanker to get through to Cuba, highlighting how permission had to be granted to get past the navy, they also argue that there is no blockade on the island. Rubio’s constant shifting around Trump’s problematic impulsivity, as he jockeys for position in an administration where some key players despise him, speaks to his approach to foreign policy. One that is driven by his personal beliefs and his seeking approval from those who loathe him. It would behoove Rubio to take into account that Trump represents U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba, and he inadvertently peeled the layers back for all to see.
Trump doesn’t care about all the communism, dictators, or liberation talk you hear from Cuban Americans. He cares about dominion. Control over as much as possible for a world he will not benefit from or see. He cares about legacy; self-interest. He’s militarily advancing U.S. foreign policy in an effort to go down in history as something bigger than he is. He’s attempting to bring the U.S.’s imperialist ambitions to fruition. And he seems willing to burn the world to do it.
If Russia successfully defied Trump, then it may signal an opportunity for the rest of the world. In the middle of a war, Iran is defying U.S. sanctions by demanding payment to traverse the Strait of Hormuz in Chinese Yuan. It’s working. Each case of a country finding ways to circumvent deadly unilateral U.S. sanctions provides windows of opportunity to unite behind solutions that can save countless lives.
Arturo is an independent freelance journalist. He has written hundreds of articles on policing, immigration, race, and Latin America. His work has been featured in outlets such as Unicorn Riot, Latino Rebels, Capitol Press, Momentum, and abroad. He is the Editor-in-Chief at the Antagonist Magazine and is a co-leader of the Writers and Editors of Color.
Great post. Thanks to you and alternative media, I can actually get news.
You have spoken the truth about Trump and his sycophants and given us a window into the long-term abuse by our government. I will be eagerly watching as the hardliners learn that DT is loyal to no one but himself.