A Russian tanker has entered Cuban waters with a shipment of oil.
BBC News says this report comes just hours after US President Donald Trump said that he had no problem with countries, including Russia, sending supplies to the island.
Mr Trump’s remark appears to signal a loosening of a de facto oil blockade his administration had imposed on Cuba since January.
The blockade has exacerbated existing shortages, with Cuba experiencing a series of nation-wide blackouts as a result.
Last week as well, the WHO warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
The Russian news agency, Interfax, says the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin is carrying a “humanitarian shipment” of 100,000 tonnes of crude oil.
