Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 12 that Moscow does not want to escalate tensions, but also emphasized that current trade relations between Russia and the US are "not much".
The statement quoted by the state news agency RIA Novosti shows that the Kremlin does not show concern about President Donald Trump's statement about imposing tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba, whether directly or indirectly.
According to a statement from the White House, Washington will impose tariffs on countries supplying oil to Havana, saying the Cuban government is an "unusual and special threat".
US pressure on Cuba has increased since January 3, after Washington launched an operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro - Havana's long-time ally.
Regarding the question of whether Moscow is concerned about tariff threats, Mr. Peskov affirmed that Russia will seek constructive dialogue with the US regarding the increasingly serious energy crisis in Cuba.
However, he believes that these issues cannot be discussed publicly in detail at the present time for obvious reasons.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Havana announced that Moscow will soon transfer crude oil and oil products to Cuba in the form of humanitarian aid.
Cuba - a country that has been subject to US trade embargoes for more than 60 years - is sinking into a serious economic crisis. The country's government recently announced a series of emergency measures to protect essential services and allocate fuel to key sectors.
The plan includes limiting fuel sales, closing some tourist facilities, shortening school days and reducing working weeks at state-owned enterprises to 4 days, from Monday to Thursday.
Aviation fuel shortages also forced Cuban authorities to warn that international airlines would not be able to refuel in the country. Air Canada then canceled all flights to the island nation, despite saying it would bring about 3,000 passengers staying here back home in the coming days.
Russia itself is also preparing to evacuate its tourists from Cuba and temporarily suspend flights to the Caribbean island nation. The Russian aviation authority announced that two airlines operating routes to Cuba will operate flights only carrying return passengers to bring tourists back home before temporarily suspending services.
