Mexico will send humanitarian aid to Cuba this week, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced, stressing the move is driven by humanitarian concerns. Her remarks followed President Trump’s claim that he had asked Mexico to halt oil shipments to Cuba. The shift came after Venezuela suspended deliveries following a U.S. operation targeting Nicolás Maduro; Pemex reported nearly 20,000 barrels per day to Cuba Jan–Sept 30, 2025, while satellite monitoring suggests recent deliveries fell to about 7,000 barrels per day.
Sheinbaum Pledges Humanitarian Aid to Cuba as Mexico Faces Pressure Over Oil Shipments
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at the National Palace in Mexico City, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mexico City — President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Sunday that Mexico will dispatch humanitarian assistance to Cuba this week, including food and other relief supplies. She framed the move as a response to humanitarian needs rather than a political gesture.
Her statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had asked Mexico to suspend oil shipments to the Caribbean island. Speaking at a public event in the northern state of Sonora, Sheinbaum said she did not raise Cuban affairs during a Thursday phone call with Trump and stressed her government is pursuing a diplomatic solution.
“We did not discuss Cuban affairs in the phone call with President Trump,” Sheinbaum said. “My government seeks to diplomatically resolve everything related to the oil shipments (to Cuba) for humanitarian reasons.”
Why Mexico Is Supplying Oil
The shift in suppliers followed a U.S. military operation in early January that aimed to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro; in the operation’s aftermath, Venezuela suspended its oil deliveries to Cuba, which had already been declining in recent years. That left Mexico as the principal supplier of crude oil and refined products to Havana.
State oil company Pemex reported that it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels per day to Cuba from January through Sept. 30, 2025. Independent analysts tracking tanker movements using satellite data said deliveries later fell. Jorge Piñón of the University of Texas Energy Institute estimated shipments dropped to roughly 7,000 barrels per day after a visit to Mexico City by U.S. officials in September.
Outlook
Sheinbaum emphasized humanitarian considerations as the basis for Mexico’s assistance and said her administration will seek diplomatic channels to address concerns about oil shipments. The development highlights growing regional tensions over energy flows to Cuba and the diplomatic balancing act facing Mexico amid pressure from the United States.
Follow AP’s reporting on Latin America and the Caribbean for ongoing updates.
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