In response to US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo warned that this measure could unleash “a far-reaching humanitarian crisis on the island, directly affecting hospitals, food, and other basic services for the Cuban people, a situation that must be avoided through respect for international law and dialogue between the parties.”
Therefore, she instructed Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente to contact the State Department to understand the scope of Trump’s executive order in order to determine how, through dialogue, this humanitarian crisis in Cuba can be avoided without further impacting the Mexican economy with tariffs.
Sheinbaum stated that Mexico will explore various alternatives, “obviously also in defense of national interests, and to provide humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, who are going through a difficult time, in line with our historical tradition of solidarity and international respect.”
During her press conference in this border city, the mayor clarified that the measure announced by Trump on Thursday afternoon was not among the topics discussed during their 40-minute phone call that morning. “He never mentioned it, and that’s why we didn’t discuss it. We talked about the Mexico-United States relationship; the issue of Cuba was not addressed. And then this announcement came out in the afternoon.”
In this context, in a statement she had prepared for the conference, Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico unequivocally reaffirms the principle of sovereignty and the free self-determination of peoples, a fundamental pillar of our foreign policy and international law.
She recalled that since the United States imposed the embargo on Cuba in 1962, Mexico was the first country to oppose that measure. Since then, regardless of the political leanings of Mexico’s various governments, a historic policy of solidarity with the island has been maintained, including the administrations of Carlos Salinas, Vicente Fox, and Felipe Calderón. Even under Fox, with that infamous phrase, “eat and leave,” a policy of solidarity toward Cuba was upheld.
—Beyond the implications of Trump’s decree, Mexico will not abandon the island?
—We need to understand the implications, because we also don’t want to put our country at risk in terms of tariffs. We will always seek diplomatic channels: non-confrontation, dialogue, and different ways to provide support. The United States is sending humanitarian aid to the island: food and other supplies, to the Cuban people. We will find a way, without putting Mexico at risk, to continue our solidarity, always with the Cuban people.
