Mexico's Fuel Lifeline to Cuba Sparks Tensions with Trump Administration
Mexico becomes crucial fuel supplier to Cuba but pledges no extra shipments after Maduro toppled
Mexico has emerged as a crucial fuel supplier to Cuba, a move that could further strain relations with the Trump administration. Despite the Mexican government's insistence that exports to the island have not increased, data suggests that the country has shipped over 19,000 barrels of crude oil and refined products to Cuba daily.
According to Petróleos Mexicanos' latest report, the state-owned oil company has been sending fuel to Cuba since the 1959 revolution, which led to a US trade embargo. The embargo has caused economic and energy crises in Cuba, resulting in hundreds of thousands of migrants, particularly to the US.
The situation has become more complex with the US preparing to seize control of Venezuelan oil, and Mexico's fuel shipments to Cuba have been seen as a strategic move. However, experts believe that the US government would not approve of an increase in these shipments.
Jorge Piñón, of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas, has tracked Mexico's fuel shipments to Cuba and noted a significant drop in shipments after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Mexico City in September. Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Maduro's government has been exporting an average of 35,000 barrels of oil to Cuba daily.
Oscar Ocampo, of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, warns that oil shipments to Cuba will likely be one of the areas under pressure from the US. He notes that Mexico's fuel shipments to Cuba have been made through private subsidiaries, which lack transparency.
The shipments have been valued at approximately $400 million, but it remains unclear whether they were made at market price or as humanitarian aid. The lack of profitability in supplying oil to Cuba comes as Pemex is expected to export the least amount of crude oil in 2025, a significant drop from previous years.
The situation highlights the complexities of the Cuba-US-Venezuela oil triangle and the pressure that Mexico faces in its relations with the Trump administration.
