Cuba’s fate has long been
entwined with Venezuela: subsidized Venezuelan oil has been a mainstay of its economy since shortly after Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela in 1999. Washington intends to weaken the regime by choking off that oil, which has kept Cuba’s lights on, senior U.S. officials said. Cuba could run out of oil within weeks, bringing the economy to a grinding halt, according to economists.
Venezuela, once the island's top supplier, has not sent crude or fuel to Cuba for about a month, according to shipping data and internal documents from state company PDVSA, with cargoes falling off due to a U.S. blockade even before Maduro's capture.
In 2025, Mexico was the second-largest supplier with approximately 5,000 barrels per day. With Venezuela offline, shipments from Pemex are now a critical, though insufficient, lifeline for the island.
In the nine months ending September, Mexico state oil company Pemex exported 17,200 bpd of crude and 2,000 bpd of petroleum products to Cuba.
Sheinbaum said Mexico's decisions to sell or give oil to Cuba have a long history and are influenced by the economic blockade on the island nation.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, pressed on Tuesday whether Mexico had halted oil shipments to Cuba amid pressure from Washington, said shipment decisions were sovereign in nature and not based on U.S. pressure.
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