Mexican President Sheinbaum Says Halting Of Oil Shipments To Cuba Is 'Sovereign' Decision And Not Driven by U.S. Pressure

President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected claims that the halting of oil shipments to Cuba was prompted by pressure from Washington, framing the decision as a sovereign policy choice shaped by state oil company Pemex's contractual considerations.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said Pemex made the decision to suspend exports, while emphasizing that Mexico's approach to supplying oil to Cuba has historically been guided by national sovereignty and humanitarian considerations. "Pemex makes its decisions, and as we have said, Mexico's decision to sell or provide oil to Cuba for humanitarian reasons is also linked to a sovereign decision," she said.

Sheinbaum was responding to a Bloomberg report that Pemex had withdrawn a shipment scheduled to depart for Havana in mid-January. Mexico has supplied oil to Cuba for decades despite the U.S. embargo, but the issue has gained renewed sensitivity amid escalating tensions in U.S. foreign policy and shifts in Venezuela's energy landscape following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

The president attributed the suspension primarily to changes in Pemex's contractual arrangements with Cuba. "It is a sovereign decision and it is taken when necessary," she said, adding that Mexico has not ruled out resuming shipments in the future, though she did not specify a timeline.

"Mexico has always been supportive, and Mexico will continue to be supportive," she said, recalling the country's long-standing efforts to mitigate the effects of the embargo and supply shortages on the island.

Pemex had become a key supplier for Cuba after Venezuelan shipments declined following U.S. intervention in Caracas. The shift has coincided with broader geopolitical pressures, including debates in Washington over tightening restrictions on Cuba's energy imports and ongoing negotiations over trade relations between Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Republican lawmakers in the United States welcomed the suspension of the shipment as a sign of Mexico's shifting posture. Florida Representative María Elvira Salazar said on social media that she had previously urged Sheinbaum to stop "financing the dictatorship with free oil," calling the development "great news" and "a clear sign that the end of the Cuban regime is getting close."

The comments came as Washington debates tougher measures against Havana, including the possibility of further restrictions on Cuba's energy imports, while Mexico faces broader diplomatic and trade negotiations with the United States.