US President Donald Trump said this Monday (2) that Mexico will stop sending oil to Cuba, intensifying his pressure campaign on the Caribbean country.
“Mexico is going to stop sending them oil,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. He did not explain why he believes this will happen.
Mexican authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
which regularly suffers from energy shortages and mass blackouts. Cuba relies heavily on imports of refined fuels to meet its demand for electricity generation, gasoline and jet fuel.
US sanctions and a deep economic crisis have prevented the communist government from buying enough fuel for years, forcing it to rely on a small group of allies.
Reuters reported that the Mexican government is , as it fears it could face retaliation from the US.
The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Sunday (1st) that it will seek to send oil to Cuba for humanitarian reasons, “without seeking confrontation”. But he also stated that the aid will consist of “other” products for next week.
Tensions rose last month between Havana and Washington following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, long a close ally of Cuba.
Trump called Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and .
a Cuban diplomat told Reuters on Monday, although he said the talks had not yet evolved into a formal “dialogue”. Trump also said the two sides are talking.
