80,000 barrels of Mexican oil sent to Cuba: Havana drawn into the US–Mexico clash

While Mexico was calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis between the United States and Venezuela at the United Nations, two oil tankers flying the Liberian flag were sailing near Cuba. Both vessels had departed from the port of Coatzacoalcos in the Mexican state of Veracruz, specifically from the Pajaritos terminal owned by the Mexican state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), which is tasked with delivering barrels of oil to the island to help alleviate the energy crisis that Cuba has been facing for months. The United States quickly viewed the shipment as a sign of support for the Cuban regime, intensifying the already strained and complex relations between Mexico and the U.S.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the shipment of crude to Cuba, arguing that it was sent for humanitarian reasons and that Mexico has historically supported the island in the face of the U.S. economic blockade. “Regardless of political party, there has been a Mexico-Cuba relationship. This is nothing new, it is not a new situation. And everything is done within the law and also for humanitarian reasons for the people of Cuba,” the president said last week during one of her morning press conferences. Sheinbaum listed the Mexican presidents who have provided assistance to Cuba at different points in history, as well as energy-related contributions dating back to the administration of Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1988–1994).

Shipments from the Mexican state oil company across the Gulf of Mexico to Cuba have been fairly common for years. The quantities vary, and various energy-monitoring firms noted in the middle of this year that the number of barrels sent from Mexico had decreased significantly. The latest shipment — 80,000 barrels — was reported by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas. Information regarding the exact contents and costs of the shipments remains opaque, as Pemex has not fully clarified it. Sheinbaum has pledged to make the information public in the coming days. “Everything is legal,” she added. In 2024, Sheinbaum acknowledged sending 400,000 barrels after Hurricane Rafael passed over the island, and the company has reported its exports, including those to Cuba, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The lack of transparency about what it means for Pemex — the world’s most indebted oil company — to allocate part of its production to Cuba has been seized upon by Mexican opposition parties. “While 2026 begins with skyrocketing gasoline prices for Mexicans, the Morena government is giving away fuel to Cuba. How outrageous: they are using the money of Mexican citizens to fund a dictatorship that keeps its people oppressed and hungry,” said a deputy from the National Action Party (PAN) after news of the latest shipment emerged. Over the past year, the Mexican government has been working to restructure Pemex’s debt and has acknowledged that production is down to 1.3 million barrels per day, a drop that returns output to 2018 levels.

Mexico’s offer to mediate in the crisis between Venezuela and the United States has put a spotlight on the country’s role in Latin America. After several years, Washington has returned its attention southward and is closely monitoring the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, whom it has accused of colluding with drug trafficking. U.S. authorities have also targeted small vessels, accusing them of drug smuggling. The U.S. clampdown on Venezuela has affected the passage of oil tankers to Cuba, forcing some to return to Venezuelan waters under the threat of U.S. action.

Mexico’s shipments of oil to Cuba to address the energy crisis have become a source of serious disagreement with Washington. “I sent a clear message to President Claudia Sheinbaum: history is watching. Stop enabling dictators in Venezuela and Cuba,” said Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar of Florida during a U.S. congressional session.

Some lawmakers have highlighted an issue particularly sensitive for Mexico: the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). In October, Congressman Carlos Giménez sent a letter to the State Department suggesting that Mexico’s economic cooperation with Cuba — through oil shipments — constitutes a violation of the USMCA. He argued that the 2026 review of the agreement would be a good opportunity to press the Mexican government to end its energy cooperation with Havana. “The United States must not allow our closest trading partner to continue financing regimes that harbor, finance, and or enable transnational criminal terrorist organizations,” he wrote. Mexico and the United States have multiple ongoing fronts on issues such as migration, security, and trade. Mexico’s diplomatic role has also highlighted its position in Latin America and its disagreements with its main trading partner.

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