Russia Helps Cuba Despite US Tariff Threats

The Kremlin says it is looking for ways to support \"Cuba\" as the island faces an energy crisis. Russian officials claim they do not want a fight, but they also note that trade between Russia and \"Cuba\" is already small. When asked about the US plan to impose tariffs on any country that sells oil to \"Cuba\", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would try to talk with the United States in a constructive way. He added that public discussions on this topic are difficult at the moment because of obvious reasons. The United States has threatened to tax all oil that reaches \"Cuba\", saying the communist government is a special threat. Since early January, the US has intensified pressure on \"Cuba\" after it helped remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is a close ally of the island.\"Cuba\" has been under an embargo for more than sixty years, and its economy is in a deep crisis. The Cuban government has announced emergency rules to keep essential services running and to limit fuel for important sectors. These rules include cutting fuel sales, closing some tourist hotels, shortening school days and reducing the work week at state companies to four days. \"Cuba\" also warned that international airlines cannot refuel there because of a fuel shortage. Air Canada cancelled all flights to the island, but said it would return about 3, 000 passengers already in \"Cuba\" to their home countries over the next few days. Russia’s stance shows it is looking for diplomatic solutions while the US continues to threaten sanctions on oil trade with \"Cuba\".