Mexico will pause oil shipments to Cuba : NPR
A driver fuels up with others queuing behind him to refuel at a gas station in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Ramón Espinosa/AP
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Ramón Espinosa/AP
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that her government had at least temporarily halted oil shipments to Cuba, but struck an ambiguous tone, saying the pause was part of general fluctuations in oil supplies and that it was a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from the United States.
Sheinbaum was responding to questions about whether state oil company Pemex had halted oil shipments to Cuba following growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for Mexico to distance itself from the Cuban government, although U.S. officials have not publicly called on Mexico to stop its oil exports.
“Pemex is making decisions regarding the contractual relationship it has with Cuba,” Sheinbaum said during his morning press briefing. “Suspension is a sovereign decision and is taken when necessary.”
Sheinbaum’s vague statements come as Trump seeks to isolate Cuba and further increase pressure on the island, a longtime adversary subject to tough economic sanctions from Washington. Trump said Cuba’s government was ready to fall and the island would no longer receive oil shipments from Venezuela after a U.S. military operation removed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In its deepening energy and economic crisis, Cuba has relied heavily on foreign aid and oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and – previously – Venezuela.
Mexico has sought to balance its long-standing support for the Cuban government with Trump’s push for Latin American leaders to align with his vision for the region.
Sheinbaum said Tuesday that Mexico would continue to show solidarity with Havana, but did not specify what type of support Mexico would offer.
Mexico has faced its own pressure from Washington, as Trump has threatened military action against Mexican drug cartels.
Mexico last week transferred dozens of suspected cartel members to the United States to face justice. They were wanted by the Trump administration, but Sheinbaum used similar language at the time as Tuesday, saying the transfers were made on a sovereign, autonomous basis.
Mexican oil has long been a critical lifeline for Cuba. In its most recent report, Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba between January and September 30, 2025. That month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mexico City. Jorge Piñon, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, later said that figure had fallen to around 7,000 barrels.
Sheinbaum has spent weeks saying she would provide clear data on exports to Cuba, but she has yet to do so. The Cuban government and Pemex did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Piñon said that while the future of shipments from Mexico remains uncertain, what is clear is that Sheinbaum is “walking a tightrope” between his political rhetoric in support of Cuba and upcoming trade negotiations with the United States.
Analysts now expect further pressure from Washington to stop these deliveries more permanently, given Trump’s growing demands that Mexico perform better in the fight against drug cartels.
Meanwhile, dozens of drivers waited hours in long lines – common on the island – to fill their cars with gas, saying they had heard the news. While some said they weren’t particularly worried and said they would find a way to move forward, others expressed deep anxiety about what the future might hold.
Rolando Graña, 40, spent two hours of his day in a gas pipe. For the airport employee, it was a hunt for fuel rather than a day off.
“It’s going to affect us a lot more now,” Graña said.
