MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum declared Monday that Mexico is actively working to reactivate oil shipments to Cuba, asserting her country’s sovereign right to supply fuel to the island—whether for humanitarian or commercial reasons—one day after the United States allowed a Russian tanker to dock at a Cuban port in Matanzas, effectively easing its own months-long fuel blockade.
“Solidarity aid is one thing, and trade agreements we have with Cuba are another, and that also has to do with the shipment of oil,” Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference, Mañanera, at the National Palace in Mexico City.
Her statement came hours after the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked at the port of Matanzas on Tuesday, carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil—the first time in three months that an oil tanker reached the island.
President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One Sunday night, said he had “no problem” with the delivery, telling reporters: “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem, whether it’s Russia or not.”
A Shifting Diplomatic Opening
The Anatoly Kolodkin is a vessel sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its passage—tacitly approved by Washington—marks a notable pivot in Trump’s posture toward Cuba’s energy crisis, even as the White House characterized it as a one-off decision rather than a formal policy change. The White House stated that future decisions on shipments would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”
For Sheinbaum, the development appears to have reopened a door that U.S. pressure had forced shut. Her remarks came directly in response to a question about the Russian tanker’s approach to Havana, and she did not specify a timeline for when Mexico might decide to resume an oil shipment. She did, however, reaffirm that Mexico’s bilateral relationship with Cuba is “historical” and that no outside country should interfere in it.
“No one should intercede, and if there is any problem related to that, there are multilateral organizations,” she said, according to reporting from Telesur. “The Mexico-Cuba relationship is historical. It is not new. And we are going to continue supporting the Cuban people.”
Sheinbaum also disclosed that private companies in Cuba, including hotels, have approached the Mexican government about purchasing oil directly from the state-owned energy company Pemex—a potential commercial avenue that could sidestep some of the geopolitical friction around government-to-government energy deals.
Months of Pressure and a Sharp Drop in Exports
Mexico had been Cuba’s primary oil supplier before Washington tightened the screws in late 2025. Between January and September 2025, Pemex reported shipments of roughly 19,200 barrels per day to the island. After a September 2025 visit to Mexico City by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, analysts recorded a sharp drop to around 7,000 barrels per day due to diplomatic pressure.
Trump’s executive order declaring Cuba a national emergency also contained a pointed threat: countries that continued to send oil to the island would face punishing tariffs—a warning effectively aimed at Mexico, Cuba’s only remaining major oil supplier after Venezuela’s shipments were cut off following the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January.
In February 2026, Sheinbaum publicly drew a line: Mexico would not send fuel to Cuba “for the time being,” though it would continue humanitarian assistance, including food shipments. She had previously declared that Mexico would “take all necessary diplomatic action to resume oil shipments,” calling the U.S. blockade deeply unfair: “You can’t suffocate people like that,” said Sheinbaum.
Cuba’s Energy Crisis Remains Severe
The arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin provides only partial, short-term relief. Cuba needs approximately 100,000 barrels of oil per day and covers only about 40% of that through domestic production. CNN Energy analysts quoted by CNN noted that the crude aboard the Russian vessel must first be transported in smaller tankers to an aging refinery in Havana for processing—a procedure that could take up to 20 days before refined quantities of fuel even reach the population—and with protests spreading amid the darkness in the streets of Cuba—the regime may be running out of time.
Residents in Matanzas, while relieved to see the ship’s arrival, voiced skepticism about whether its contents would reach ordinary Cubans.
“A ship comes; it gives us aid. But who does it go to? Because we don’t get anything here,” said one 54-year-old local resident, quoted by U.S. outlets. “We’re still stuck with blackouts, with water shortages, with shortages and shortages.”
Earlier this year, a UN spokesman described the situation in Cuba as one that would “worsen, if not collapse,” if the island’s oil needs went unmet.
What Comes Next
Whether Sheinbaum moves quickly to restore Pemex shipments will depend significantly on Washington’s next steps. The White House has not signaled a broader relaxation of the embargo, and Trump separately renewed predictions this week that Cuba’s government would collapse “within a short period of time.”
Still, Monday’s press conference in Mexico City marks the clearest signal yet that Mexico’s position has shifted from cautious restraint to active pursuit of a resumption, citing both sovereign right and commercial precedent stretching back decades.
Sociedad Media will continue to cover developing events surrounding Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, including reported discussions between Havana and officials in Washington. For questions, stories, or general inquiries, reach out to us at info@sociedadmedia.com
