HAVANA — Two Mexican Navy ships laden with humanitarian aid docked in Cuba on Thursday as a U.S. blockade deepens the island’s energy crisis.
The ships arrived two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, prompting the island in recent days to ration energy.
The Mexican government has said that one ship is carrying some 536 tons of food including milk, rice, beans, sardines, meat products, cookies, canned tuna, and vegetable oil, as well as personal hygiene items. The second ship is carrying just over 277 tons of powdered milk.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that while diplomatic maneuvering to resume oil supplies is underway, humanitarian aid would be sent.
Before Trump’s announcement, the state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos, Pemex, had already suspended crude oil shipments to Cuba in January, although it has not clarified the reasons behind that decision.
Cuba relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela that were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its leader.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has called Trump’s threats an “energy blockade” and said it affects transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and the production of food.
In addition to severe blackouts, Cuban officials note that U.S. sanctions, which increased under Trump’s second term, cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025.
