As Cuba’s fuel runs dry in post-Maduro era, allies offer help … but not oil

by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News February 10, 2026

The communist regime in Cuba is in major crisis mode as fuel supplies on the Caribbean island are dwindling.

Mexico, China, and Russia have vowed to assist the ailing Cuban regime this week — but none are offering to provide desperately needed oil after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs on any country selling crude to Cuba.

Cuba has largely relied on oil shipments from Venezuela and Mexico to keep its barely functional infrastructure running. The supply of Venezuelan oil was cut off on Jan. 3 following the U.S.’s arrest of Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.

The United States effectively took control of Venezuelan oil exports following the arrest and is working to help Venezuela sell it at a profit in cooperation with the administration of “acting president” Delcy Rodríguez.

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA — ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote in a Jan. 11 Truth Social post.

With the Venezuelan supply cut off, Mexico became Cuba’s top supplier. But Mexico suspended a late-January oil shipment to Cuba from Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex and is not publicly known to have supplied any additional oil to the island-nation.

On Monday, Mexican leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed to reporters that Mexican oil shipments to Cuba remain suspended. Sheinbaum reportedly stressed that her government will carry out efforts towards resuming the shipments “as part of solidarity actions toward the Cuban people.”

In late January, Chinese ambassador to Cuba Hua Xin announced that China would provide Cuba with a $80 million financial aid package for the alleged purchase of electrical equipment and other “urgent needs,” as well as a second 30,000 ton shipment of rice. But Chinese officials would not say they would ship oil to the communist-run island.

Russia’s ambassador to Havana Viktor Koronelli reportedly claimed that the United States imposed an “energy blockade” on Cuba under an “absurd pretext” during an interview with the Russian television channel Rossiya-1 in which he vowed that Russia “will not abandon Cuba.” But Russia also would not say it plans to ship oil to Cuba.

Air Canada has suspended service to Cuba because due to the shortage of aviation fuel.

The move was effective as of Monday, though the airline said it would bring some 3,000 customers already in Cuba back home in the coming days.

Aviation fuel will not be commercially available at the island’s airports beginning on Tuesday until at least March 11, according to a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM).


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