Mexico says oil shipments to Cuba will continue

MEXICO CITY

Mexico will continue to send shipments of crude oil to Cuba, despite pressure from the US to curtail all assistance to the island nation, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday.

Sheinbaum addressed rumors that her administration would suspend the oil shipments, which she characterized as "humanitarian aid," as Washington seeks to further isolate Cuba from its regional allies.

“Humanitarian aid to Cuba, as to other countries, continues,” she said during her daily press conference. “Mexico has always been a country of solidarity.”

Following US actions against Venezuela and the de facto takeover of its oil industry, US President Donald Trump pledged to bring about the downfall of the Cuban government.

During her briefing, Sheinbaum clarified Mexico’s position amid US pressure to halt oil deliveries to Cuba after statements she made the previous day prompted speculation over the possible suspension of shipments.

“I never said whether shipments had been suspended or not. That was an interpretation that came later based on a newspaper article,” she said, addressing a Bloomberg report.

Along with Venezuela, Mexico accounts for a significant share of oil shipments to Cuba, whose economy and industry have been severely constrained by a US economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed since the 1960s.

According to Bloomberg, the state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) supplied approximately 20,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Cuba last year.

The most recent oil shipment to Cuba, recorded in January, totaled 86,000 barrels.

“There are two channels through which oil is delivered to Cuba. One is through contracts established by Pemex with a Cuban government institution, and the other is humanitarian aid, which also includes oil deliveries, along with other goods sent as humanitarian assistance,” Sheinbaum said.

Republican lawmakers in the US have condemned Sheinbaum’s actions. Representative Carlos Gimenez warned of potential trade consequences in the context of negotiations over the United States–Mexico–Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.

“This great betrayal will not be tolerated in the slightest. She should keep that very much in mind ahead of the renegotiation of the free trade agreement,” he wrote on the US social media company X’s platform.