MATANZAS, Cuba – As supplies of Venezuelan oil dwindled, Russia stepped in this month to provide Cuba with petroleum products.
Russian oil company Rosneft will supply state-owned Cubametals about 1.8 million barrels of oil and diesel fuel. The Russian's first delivery of 249,000 barrels arrived to Matanzas May 10.
Rosneft has also provided loans to Venezuela's PDVSA, which offered shares of Citgo as collateral.
Russia also has ties to the Cuban and Venezuelan military. Late last year, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai A. Pankov told lawmakers that Russia that they were working to re-establish their former military base in Cuba, according to the New York Times.
Local 10 News' Andrea Torres reported from Miami.