Even voices from the ruling party ask for caution so as not to affect relations with the United States.
CDMX, Mexico. – Senators from the Mexican ruling party Morena opened a public debate this Tuesday on the convenience of maintaining oil shipments from Mexico to Cuba, in a context of tensions with the United States and financial fragility in Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).
Senator Ricardo Sheffield maintained that continuing with this policy could lead to “more problems” with Washington and proposed reviewing whether the country should sustain it under current conditions, according to statements collected by Focus News.
“Let’s continue giving oil to Cuba, because we are going to have more problems with our neighbors in the United States. I understand that it is a policy that Mexico has had for decades, regardless of the government in power,” said Sheffield.
The legislator recognized the historical ties between Mexico and the Island, but asked to evaluate the issue with economic criteria, especially due to the situation of PEMEX. “Without ignoring that relationship and that history that unites us, I believe that now we must begin to consider more mundane, more earthly issues, and among them, without a doubt, review the convenience of continuing to give, especially when PEMEX’s financial situation is not buoyant; now hunger is going to combine with the desire to eat,” he added.
In contrast, the president of the Senate Foreign Relations Commission, Alejandro Murat, defended that shipping oil to Cuba is a “sovereign” decision of Mexico and affirmed that it will continue. “What I want to highlight is that Mexico is a sovereign, independent country, and the activities that we carry out with all the countries of the world have different causes. Today the president also reiterated that Cuba’s activities have to do with humanitarian activities and with commercial contracts, so they will continue to be carried out in that order,” declared Murat.
In the midst of international scrutiny of the flow of hydrocarbons to Cuba, it emerged that Mexico became the main supplier of fuel to the Island, even above Venezuela. The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said that Mexico “is not sending [a Cuba] more oil than there has been[bía] sent historically” and that, due to the Venezuelan situation, the country “has become an important supplier” of crude oil for Cuba.
In a report filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), PEMEX indicated that, since July 2023, its subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar, SA de CV exported “crude oil and petroleum products” to Cuba. For the semester ending June 30, 2025, the company reported exports of “17,900 barrels per day” of crude oil and “1,700 barrels per day” of petroleum products, for an aggregate amount of “5.3 billion pesos” (300 million dollars).
