Washington has increased its pressure on Mexico to end its support for Cuba, particularly its oil deliveries, as the island faces a severe economic crisis. A decree issued by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, January 29, threatened to impose new tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. According to the Trump administration, the “[Cuban] regime aligns itself with – and provides support for – numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups and malign actors adverse to the United States.” In response, the Cuban government condemned “the new escalation by the US government against Cuba in its efforts to impose a total blockade [which has lasted for 67 years] on fuel supplies to our country” on the basis of “mendacious arguments.”
Questioned on the issue during her daily press conference on Friday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum read a statement reiterating Mexico’s arguments for continuing to support the island: “Mexico reaffirms the principle of sovereignty and the right to self-determination of peoples, which is a cornerstone of our foreign policy and international law. The imposition of tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba could trigger a large-scale humanitarian crisis, which must be avoided at all costs.” According to energy analytics firm Kpler, as cited by the Financial Times, Cuba has only about two weeks’ worth of oil reserves left.
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