Mexico will pursue a diplomatic approach and explore alternatives to support Cuba after the United States threatened to impose tariffs on countries that supply oil to the island, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday.
“We need to understand the scope of this because we don’t want to put our country at risk when it comes to tariffs,” Sheinbaum told a morning news conference, adding that she had asked Mexico’s foreign minister to contact the U.S. State Department.
Mexico is among Cuba’s last remaining oil suppliers, and its shipments are considered vital to the island.
Sheinbaum warned that halting oil deliveries could spark a serious humanitarian crisis in Cuba, disrupting transportation and essential infrastructure such as hospitals and power generation.
“Imposing tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba could lead to a wide-reaching humanitarian crisis, directly affecting hospitals, food supplies and other basic services for the Cuban people — something that must be avoided,” she said.
She did not say whether Mexico would suspend shipments of crude or refined products to Cuba, which she said account for about 1% of Mexico’s oil output, but stressed that the government is examining other ways to assist the island.
Sheinbaum said she spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday morning, hours before his administration announced the tariff threat, but that the issue was not raised during their call.
