Mexico Plans to Resume Oil Exports to Cuba

Mexico is planning to restart oil exports to Cuba soon. This initiative will rely on private companies rather than state entities. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced this on Monday during her morning briefing.

The U.S. ramped up pressure on nations delivering fuel to Cuba after Donald Trump’s administration imposed tariffs in response to the U.S. action in Venezuela, where former President Nicolás Maduro was detained on January 3rd. This move has worsened the energy crisis in Cuba, leading Mexico to suspend oil deliveries planned by the state-owned company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

Only one tanker from Russia, loaded with 730,000 barrels of oil, has reached Cuba, docking on the northern coast at the end of March. Sheinbaum now seeks to utilize Cuba’s recently approved economic liberalization laws to reestablish supply through Mexican entrepreneurs present in the region.

The mechanism would involve private companies permitted to transport fuel to Cuba. she explained without elaborating further. We hope commercial operations can resume soon, she added without specifying a timeline.

Mexico will continue to send humanitarian aid concurrently. Cuba generates just 40% of its fuel needs, relying heavily on imports to support its aging power grid. The U.S. energy blockade has severely impacted Cuba’s economy, leading to increasingly long blackouts, reductions in the state food rationing system, and shortages of water and medicine.