Mexico offers solidarity to Cuba amid reported oil shipment cancellation

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that her country’s decision to halt oil shipments to Cuba was made on humanitarian grounds. According to reports, the Mexican government had previously been a major supplier of discounted crude to the island nation, which relies heavily on these supplies due to a US trade embargo and severe energy crisis.

In recent months, Venezuela had taken over as a primary supplier of cut-price oil to Cuba, but US President Donald Trump announced that he would halt shipments after the United States military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Despite this, Mexico continued to send oil to Cuba until reports emerged that a shipment planned for January was cancelled.

Sheinbaum confirmed on Tuesday that Mexico’s decision to stop sending oil to Cuba was made by the state-owned oil company Pemex and the government itself, citing humanitarian reasons. When asked about resuming shipments, she sidestepped the question, stating only that it would be reported in due course.

The Mexican president also emphasized her country’s commitment to showing solidarity with Cuba, following reports of growing concerns within her administration about potential repercussions from the US. Venezuela has reportedly not sent oil or money to Cuba for approximately a month, according to shipping data and internal documents from state-owned PDVSA.

Source: Al Jazeera