Mexico has paused its oil shipments to Cuba: President

MEXICO CITY

People refuel their car and motorcycle at a gas station near the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Jan. 27 her government has at least temporarily stopped 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 inquiries on whether the state oil company Pemex had cut off oil shipments to Cuba in the wake of mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump that Mexico distance itself from the Cuban government, though U.S. officials have not publicly requested that Mexico stop the oil.

“Pemex makes decisions in the contractual relationship it has with Cuba,” Sheinbaum said in her morning news briefing. “Suspending is a sovereign decision and is taken when necessary.”

Sheinbaum’s vague statements come as Trump has sought to isolate Cuba and further ramp up the pressure on the island, a longtime adversary under strict economic sanctions from Washington.

Trump has said the Cuban government is ready to fall, and that the island would receive no more oil shipments from Venezuela after a U.S. military operation deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro .

In its deepening energy and economic crisis, Cuba has relied heavily on foreign assistance and oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia, and — previously — Venezuela.

Mexican oil has long acted as a key lifeline for Cuba. In its most recent report, Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba from January through Sept. 30, 2025.