Karoline Leavitt says Russian oil tanker reaching Cuba is ‘not a policy change,’ and the world is not sure what to make of it

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the recent decision to let a Russian oil tanker reach Cuba, despite the ongoing U.S. blockade, doesn’t actually signal a change in policy. This news comes after the U.S. has been pretty tight on Cuba, maintaining an oil blockade around the island since January. That blockade was put in place to really squeeze the Cuban regime, and it has led to gas shortages and blackouts across the island.

Leavitt was very clear about the administration’s position. She stated, “This is not a policy change; there has not been a formal change in sanction policy.” She explained that the ship was specifically allowed to reach Cuba to provide for the “humanitarian needs to the Cuban people.” It sounds like they’re handling these situations on an individual basis, as she added, “These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis.”

Despite this specific allowance, Leavitt emphasized that Cuba’s economic woes are deep-seated. She pointed out that the country’s “non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic, political and leadership change.” However, she reiterated that, for now, “there has been no formal change” in the broader U.S. stance.

When pressed on whether the U.S. would allow more oil tankers to reach Cuba in the future, Leavitt didn’t give a definitive answer

She remained cautious, stating that the U.S. “still reserve[s] the right to seize vessels, if it’s legally applicable, that are headed towards Cuba and that violate the United States sanction policy.” She quickly followed up by saying, “But of course, the president and the administration also reserved the right to waive those seizures on a case-by-case basis.”

President Trump also weighed in on the situation while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. He seemed pretty unfazed by the development, saying, “it wouldn’t bother me” if Cuba received oil. He went on to clarify his position, stating, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba, I have no problem with that.” He even added, “Whether it’s Russia or not.”

The president didn’t think allowing Russia to send oil to Cuba would offer any real benefit to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He dismissed the impact, suggesting that Putin “loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is.” He continued, “If he wants to do that, and if other countries want to do it, it doesn’t bother me much.”

President Trump also expressed a rather bleak view of Cuba’s overall situation, explaining, “It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime and they have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil is not going to matter.”