The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed on Monday that her government will not send oil to Cuba because the island "is receiving oil from Russia."
Sheinbaum announced that instead of sending fuel, Mexico is directing its support to other humanitarian areas, with a aid ship that departed the same day toward the island.
"Yes, they are receiving oil from Russia, so we are shifting towards other humanitarian support," said the president during her morning conference from Palacio Nacional.
The statement concludes, at least for now, months of uncertainty regarding the shipments of Mexican fuel to Cuba.
Pemex canceled at the end of January 2026 the shipment of the vessel Swift Galaxy scheduled for the island, without any official public explanation, amid threats from President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on any country that supplied oil "directly or indirectly" to Cuba.
Sheinbaum had defended the shipments as legitimate and humanitarian trade agreements, stating that Pemex was making "sovereign decisions."
However, the state-owned company did not resume shipments, not even when the Trump administration temporarily lifted tariffs on countries supplying fuel to Cuba—a window that lasted barely three weeks.
In 2025, under the government of Sheinbaum, Mexico covered nearly 17% of the fuel consumed by Cuba, with hydrocarbon exports reaching 560 million dollars annually and an average of 17,200 barrels per day, the highest level in 25 years.
These shipments were managed by Gasolinas del Bienestar S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of Pemex created specifically for these operations and eliminated in May 2026.
The only significant energy relief for Cuba in 2026 came from Russia: the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked at the port of Matanzas on March 31 with 100,000 metric tons of crude oil —about 730,000 barrels— donated as humanitarian aid.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov admitted on April 15 that this aid "will probably last a couple of months", and by May that shipment is running out with no new confirmed Russian deliveries.
The energy crisis in Cuba worsens as Russian crude is consumed.
This Monday, the island projected an electrical deficit of 1,955 MW during the night peak, with a supply of only 1,245 MW against a demand of 3,200 MW.
Provinces such as Granma and Holguín experienced blackouts of up to 24 hours in the early days of May, and Cuba has seen at least seven total collapses of the National Electric System in the last 18 months.
Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico's historical stance of rejecting the embargo since 1962 and promised to continue providing non-oil assistance.
"We will continue to send humanitarian aid to a community in need," stated the Mexican president, though she did not specify what products would be included in the ship that left this Monday.
With Russian crude running out and no new shipments confirmed from any supplier, Cuba faces the risk of a total energy collapse in the coming weeks.
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