The Mexican president avoided commenting on a possible suspension of Pemex shipments to the island, in a context of pressure from the United States.
MADRID, Spain.- The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, avoided confirming this Tuesday whether oil shipments to Cuba have been stopped or are about to be suspended. He limited himself to saying that it is a “sovereign decision” of both the Mexican State and Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), in a context marked by rReports on the cancellation of a shipment and for the hardening of the United States’ position regarding energy cooperation with the island.
During his morning conference, The president was consulted about the sale and export of crude oil to Cuba and, without denying or ratifying a possible brake, she chose to underline the autonomous nature of these determinations. “It is a sovereign decision and Pemex makes its decisions. Mexico’s decision to sell or give oil to Cuba for humanitarian reasons has to do with a sovereign decision that has been going on for many years, it is not recent,” he stated.
Sheinbaum said that Cuba has faced the US embargo for decades and that this policy has generated problems of energy shortages on the island. In that sense, he maintained that Mexico “has always been supportive and will continue to be supportive,” while insisting that the times, volumes and conditions of shipments depend on what Pemex and, where appropriate, the Mexican government itself determine based on current contracts or humanitarian considerations.
“So, the decision of when it is sent, how it is sent, is a sovereign decision and is in terms of what Pemex defines based on the contracts or, in any case, the government of a humanitarian decision to employ in certain circumstances. It is a sovereign decision and is made at the moment when it is necessary,” he insisted.
The president’s statements came after the Bloomberg agency reported that Pemex had withdrawn from its schedule a shipment of crude oil scheduled for mid-January, whose arrival at Cuban ports was calculated before the end of the month. The cargo, which would be transported by the ship Swift Galaxy, was eliminated from the itinerary without the oil company or the Ministry of Energy offering official explanations.
The possible adjustment in shipments coincides with a more tense international scenario. In December, the US blockade of oil tankers from Venezuela and, recently, the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro In a United States military operation, Venezuelan supplies to Cuba were interrupted, which reaffirmed Mexico as the island’s main supplier of crude oil.
Since 2023, Mexico has played a key role as energy backup for the Cuban Government, amid prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages and a deep economic crisis. In the last year alone, Mexican shipments were around 20,000 barrels per day.
At the same time, Washington’s tone towards Havana has hardened. US President Donald Trump recently reiterated its rejection of any form of energy assistance to the Havana regime and he expressed it bluntly on social networks: “There will be no more oil or money for Cuba. Zero!”
Although in mid-January Sheinbaum had indicated that shipments would be maintained because they were long-term contracts and international aid, government sources consulted by Reuters indicated that the policy is under internal review. This Tuesday’s response, without confirming or denying a brake, reveals a cautious position of the Mexican Executive, which appeals to sovereignty as a central argument and avoids making a conclusive statement on the immediate future of supplies to the island.
