Mexico tries to avoid US tariffs for states that ship oil to Cuba
Mexico will look for diplomatic solutions to help Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that the country would seek alternatives and find diplomatic solutions after U.S. president Donald Trump signed a tariff order on oil-supplying countries.
The White House Executive Order on Thursday could be devastating for Cuba and Mexico, as it is one of the last oil suppliers.
Sheinbaum, at her daily morning news conference, said, "We don't want tariffs on Mexico but we will always seek diplomatic channels to show solidarity with Cuba." She highlighted the humanitarian risks that cutting off shipments.
Sheinbaum said repeatedly that the decision to send oil from Cuba to Cuba was a "sovereign one", but the country is heavily dependent on the exports to the United States, and is therefore vulnerable to tariffs.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has declared an international emergency in response to U.S. Tariffs, which he described on X as "an 'unusual and a extraordinary threat'".
Sheinbaum stated that cutting off oil shipments could cause a "wide-reaching humanitarian crises" on the Island, which would affect transportation, hospitals, and food access.
She didn't say if Mexico would reduce shipments of refined products or oil to Cuba. According to her, Cuba accounted for just 1% of Mexico’s production. However, she did emphasize that the government was looking at other ways to help the island.
Sheinbaum stated that "our interest is to ensure that the Cubans don't suffer" and that she has instructed her Foreign Minister to contact the U.S. State Department in order to better understand what the executive order entails.
Sheinbaum claimed that she spoke to Trump Thursday morning, just hours before the announcement of the tariffs, but that he did not mention the measures.
A securities filing from last year shows that in 2024, Gasolinas de Bienestar (an affiliate of the Mexican state oil firm Pemex) will export 20,100 barrels of crude oil per day and 2,700 barrels of oil products per day to Cuba. This is a 20% increase over the previous year, and a total of $600 million.
Venezuela, once the top oil supplier to Cuba, hasn't sent any crude or fuel there for a little over a month, according to internal documents and shipping data from PDVSA, as cargoes have been falling off because of a U.S. Blockade, even before Nicolas Maduro was captured on January 3.
Venezuela's government expressed its support for Cuba and said that the U.S. law violated international laws (Reporting and editing by Emily Green, Alexander Smith, Emily Green, Adriana Barera and Kyigo Madry; Reporting by Sarah Morland and Adriana Barrera).
(source: Reuters)
