The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, warned this Friday that the tariffs announced by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, against countries supplying oil to Cuba “could trigger a widespread humanitarian crisis”, as they would directly impact hospitals, food, and other basic services on the island.
In her morning conference in the border city of Tijuana, the leader read an official statement in four points, in which Mexico reaffirmed the principle of sovereignty and the free self-determination of peoples.
He also warned about the humanitarian risk of the tariff measures and ordered the Foreign Ministry to initiate immediate communication with the State Department to understand “precisely the implications” of the decree published “yesterday.”
Additionally, she announced that her government will seek alternatives to “humanitarianly assist” the Cuban people, while continuing to defend Mexico's interests.
Sheinbaum explained that she instructed the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to establish "immediate communication" with Washington and, in addition, to convey Mexico's position that a humanitarian crisis in Cuba must be prevented.
At the same time, he emphasized that his administration aims to act with caution to avoid jeopardizing the bilateral relationship or the country's stability in light of potential trade effects.
"We need to understand the scope because we also do not want to put our country at risk in terms of tariffs," he said, insisting that Mexico will prioritize "diplomatic channels," dialogue, and "non-confrontation" while determining its next steps.
In response to a direct question about whether Mexico "will leave the island alone," Sheinbaum stated that they first need to understand the exact scope of the decree, but she reiterated the commitment to maintain solidarity with the Cuban people by seeking "different ways to support" without putting Mexico at risk.
In that same exchange, the president noted that the United States sends humanitarian aid to Cuba—“food and other supplies”—and stated that Mexico will seek ways to provide support in a show of solidarity within its diplomatic and national interest margins.
Sheinbaum also clarified that the issue of Cuba was not addressed during the call she had with Trump the day before the decree was published.
"At no point did he mention it... we spoke about the relationship between Mexico and the United States, the topic of Cuba was not addressed. And in the afternoon this publication comes out," he stated.
Regarding oil shipments, the official pointed out that they account for "less than 1% of national production" and that they have been carried out both through contracts and for humanitarian reasons. She added that the director of Pemex will provide more details soon.
The president's stance is part of a balancing strategy: to maintain the tradition of solidarity with Cuba while simultaneously avoiding an escalation that could strain relations with Washington and impact Mexico.
In the short term, the Mexican government stated that it will await communication with the State Department to define the next steps and will provide updates as the dialogue progresses.
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