Sheinbaum vows humanitarian aid to Cuba despite US moves to curb oil

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, pledged to send humanitarian aid this week to Cuba and said Mexico was "exploring all diplomatic avenues to be able to send fuel to the Cuban people," despite US efforts to cut off oil to the Caribbean nation, she said at a public event in Sonora.

Donald Trump last week signed an executive order allowing the US to slap tariffs on countries sending crude oil to Cuba, and on Saturday said Sheinbaum had agreed to halt shipments at his request — a claim the Mexican leader rejected. "We never discussed with President Trump the issue of oil with Cuba," Sheinbaum said.

Mexico overtook Venezuela last year to become Cuba’s top oil supplier, a critical lifeline as the island faces rolling blackouts and fuel scarcity. After the US attack on Caracas last month to capture president Nicolás Maduro, Trump halted shipments from Venezuela, making Mexico’s support even more important, and Mexico’s stance has become a friction point in its relationship with Washington, already strained by Trump’s threats to send troops to confront cartels.

Washington has also increased pressure on Havana, with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, openly calling for regime change in Cuba. Trump said on Sunday that Washington was negotiating "a deal with the Cuban regime" and added: "Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up...

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