Mexico's president is confirming a politically sensitive move while insisting the motive is her country's alone. Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday effectively acknowledged that Mexico has pulled a planned oil shipment to Cuba, telling reporters the choice was "a sovereign decision and it is made in the moment when necessary," reports the Guardian. Bloomberg had reported a day earlier that the state-run Pemex had done an about-face on plans to send an oil shipment that was expected to help ease Cuba's worsening fuel shortages and blackouts.
Mexico has become Havana's main supplier since the US cut off Venezuelan oil flows to the island earlier in the month, and "the cancelled shipment comes amid reports that the Mexican government had been privately reviewing whether to keep sending oil to Cuba amid fear of reprisals from the US," per the Guardian. The AP notes, however, that US officials have not publicly asked Mexico to stop sending oil. Sheinbaum didn't say if this was a one-time cancellation or the start of a broader halt.
Reuters reports Cuba hasn't received Venezuelan crude or fuel for roughly a month, with the US blockade interrupting shipments even prior to Maduro's capture. Though Mexico sent the equivalent of 5,000 barrels per day to Cuba in 2025, Reuters calls Pemex's shipments a "critical, though insufficient, lifeline for the island." The AP notes that Sheinbaum said Tuesday that Mexico "will continue to show solidarity" with Cuba, but she didn't elaborate on what kind of support Mexico would offer.