On February 1, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she plans to send humanitarian aid to Cuba this week, including food and other humanitarian aid.
Speaking in Sonora state, northern Mexico, Ms. Sheinbaum affirmed that the phone call with US President Donald Trump on January 29 did not mention Cuba, and emphasized that Mexico will handle the issue of oil shipments to this island nation through diplomatic channels for humanitarian reasons.
Ms. Sheinbaum's statement seemed to aim to reassure public opinion after Mr. Trump said he had asked the Mexican leader to suspend oil shipments to Cuba.
After Venezuela suspended oil shipments after the US military campaign in early January, Mexico has become the main oil supplier to Cuba. In fact, oil from Mexico has long been considered an important "lifebuoy" for this island nation.
In the latest report, national oil corporation Pemex said that Mexico has transported nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba in the period from January to September 30, 2025.
However, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Mexico in September 2025, Mr. Jorge Piñon - an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute, who monitors shipments using satellite technology - said that this amount of oil has decreased to about 7,000 barrels/day.
The sharp decrease reflects Mexico's adjustment to diplomatic pressure from the US, in the context that Pemex is also limited in capacity, while Mexico is seeking to maintain support for Cuba at a minimum level instead of completely cutting it off.
