Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday her government has paused oil shipments to Cuba, marking a shift as the Trump administration intensifies isolation efforts against the island. Sheinbaum characterized the suspension as a sovereign decision not made under U.S. pressure, though the move follows Trump’s stated goal of cutting off Cuba’s remaining energy sources after a U.S. military operation deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The pause deepens Cuba’s energy crisis as the island loses access to two of its three major oil suppliers—Venezuela and now Mexico—forcing greater reliance on Russia and other shrinking allies. For Mexico, the decision reflects the difficult position the country faces as the Trump administration pressures Latin American leaders to align with its regional agenda.
Sheinbaum made the announcement during her morning news briefing Tuesday. “Pemex makes decisions in the contractual relationship it has with Cuba,” she said. “Suspending is a sovereign decision and is taken when necessary.” The Mexican state oil company has not publicly detailed the reasons for the pause or specified whether the suspension is temporary.
Cuba’s Deepening Energy Crisis
The announcement comes as Trump has pursued a broader campaign to isolate Cuba. Trump has stated that the Cuban government is ready to fall and that the island will receive no more oil shipments from Venezuela, long Cuba’s primary energy supplier. Following the U.S. military operation that deposed Maduro, Cuba has grown increasingly dependent on oil assistance from foreign allies, particularly Mexico, Russia, and what remains of Venezuelan supplies.
Cuba depends heavily on imported oil. Mexican state oil company Pemex reported it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba from January through September 2025. But in recent weeks, that figure has declined sharply. After Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mexico City, satellite imagery analysis by Jorge Piñon, an energy expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute, showed Cuban-bound shipments from Mexico had fallen to approximately 7,000 barrels per day.
Piñon said that while the future of Mexican shipments to Cuba remains uncertain, Sheinbaum is clearly “walking a tightrope” between her political support for Cuba and Mexico’s upcoming trade negotiations with the United States.
Mexico Under Siege
Mexico itself faces mounting pressure from the Trump administration. The U.S. has threatened military action against Mexican drug cartels, and last week Mexico transferred dozens of suspected cartel members sought by the Trump administration to the United States. Sheinbaum used similar language in describing those transfers, characterizing them as made on a sovereign and autonomous basis—the same framing she applied to the Cuba oil decision.
Analysts expect Washington will demand that Mexico permanently halt the shipments as Trump escalates pressure on Mexico to deliver results in the fight against drug cartels.
Shortages Spread Across the Island
On the island, news of the shipment pause sparked concern. Dozens of drivers waited in long lines to fill their vehicles with gasoline, a common occurrence on Cuba as fuel shortages persist. While some said they would find a way forward, others expressed deep anxiety about what the future might hold.
Rolando Graña, a 40-year-old airport employee, spent two hours of his day off in a gas line. “That’s going to affect us a lot more now,” he said.
The Cuban government and Pemex did not immediately respond to requests for comment.