WASHINGTON: The White House said on Monday it has not changed US policy towards Cuba, even as it allowed a sanctioned Russian tanker to deliver fuel to the island for humanitarian reasons, saying such decisions would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

“This is not a policy change. There has not been a formal change in sanctions policy,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “As the president said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people.”

The United States still reserves the right to seize vessels, if legally applicable, that are headed toward Cuba and violate US sanctions policy, she added.

The US cut off Venezuela’s oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and Trump threatened to slap punishing tariffs on any other country that sent crude to Cuba.

But Trump on Sunday signalled he was reversing course and expressed sympathy for the Cuban people’s need for energy.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2026