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Despite the warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that “there will be no more oil or money for Cuba”, the United States is allowing Mexico to continue supplying fuel to the island, as revealed by CBS News on Monday.
The information, signed by journalist Margaret Brennan, highlights a clear gap between Trump's political message and the practical politics of Washington.
According to statements from Energy Secretary Chris Wright and another U.S. official, the American administration has not blocked the shipments of Mexican crude to Cuba, even though the president publicly promised to cut off all sources of economic support to the Castro regime.
Cuba is experiencing one of the worst energy crises in its recent history, with power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day, a collapsed electrical grid, and limited fuel reserves. The loss of Venezuelan oil following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who for years supported Havana in exchange for security and medical services, has left the country on the brink of an energy abyss.
The government of Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the shipments as “humanitarian aid”, while Mexican oil tankers, such as the Ocean Mariner, have continued to arrive at Cuban ports amid the daily darkness experienced by millions of families on the island.
According to CBS News, Washington is aware that a total energy blockade could completely devastate the already deteriorating Cuban electrical system, a scenario that the United States is not looking for immediately.
A government official quoted by the outlet explained that the goal is not to cause the sudden collapse of the government, but to pressure Havana to abandon its authoritarian communist model and come to the negotiating table.
This ambivalence explains why, while Trump publicly threatens the regime and urges it to "make a deal before it’s too late", in practice, the Mexican supplies that are vital today to prevent a total energy collapse are tolerated.
From Havana, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel denied any form of political negotiation with the United States and once again hid behind the discourse of "International Law" and sovereignty, although he acknowledged that there are only technical contacts regarding migration.
The regime, however, faces unprecedented pressure without Venezuela, with Russia tied up in the war in Ukraine and an economy lacking liquidity, even reselling oil to survive, as confirmed by U.S. officials.
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