Powdered milk, beans, hygiene products... Two Mexican navy ships loaded with more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid arrived in Cuba on Thursday as the island is suffering a serious energy crisis due to the suspension of crude oil deliveries from Venezuela. Russia and Chile have also promised aid.

Published on: 02/12/2026 - 7:51 p.m. Modified on: 02/13/2026 - 08:36

The humanitarian aid promised by Mexico arrived in Cuba on Thursday February 12, at a time when the country is going through a very serious energy crisis under pressure from the United States, while Russia and Chile have also announced they want to help the communist island.

Two Mexican navy ships, the Papaloapan and the Isla Holbox, loaded with more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid sent by Mexican left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum, entered the bay of the port of Havana early in the morning, AFP journalists noted.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked his Mexican counterpart. “The humanitarian aid from our Mexican brothers is not only worth their material cargo. In them, solidarity, friendship travel” between the two countries, he declared on social networks.

To display this X content (Twitter), it is necessary to authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies.

The arrival of this humanitarian aid comes as Mexico tries to negotiate a possible delivery of oil to the island without being sanctioned by the United States, which has threatened to impose customs duties on countries sending fuel to Cuba.

See also Threats from Trump: Cuba in danger?

According to the Mexican government, the shipments, totaling 814 tonnes, include liquid and powdered milk, meat products, biscuits, beans, rice and personal hygiene items. More than 1,500 tons of milk powder and beans are still waiting to be sent.

“Mexico has always been a country in solidarity with Cuba”

“Mexico has always been a country in solidarity with Cuba” and Claudia Sheinbaum “has been firm in her declarations of solidarity,” Havana resident Marila Garcia, 52, told AFP. Eliécer Rodriguez, a 34-year-old fisherman, stressed that faced with pressure from Washington, "the only one that is responding at the moment is Mexico."

Other countries have signaled their intention to send aid to the island. Russia, an ally of Havana, is to send oil to Cuba "soon" as "humanitarian aid", the Russian daily Izvestia reported, citing diplomatic sources. "As far as we know, Russia is expected to soon provide oil and oil products to Cuba as humanitarian aid," unnamed diplomats from the Russian embassy in Cuba were quoted as saying by the newspaper's website on Thursday morning.

In Chile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, a member of the outgoing government of left-wing President Gabriel Boric, announced "financial aid" through "multilateral organizations". His ministry subsequently clarified in a press release that this financial aid, the amount of which was not specified, would be provided through UNICEF. “Today, it is a question of humanitarian interest, beyond the political characteristics that his regime may have. What matters to us is to respond as much as possible to the needs of the Cuban people,” he declared at a press conference.

See alsoCuba, on the verge of asphyxiation? With J.-J. Kourliandsky, C. Dansette, D. Delos and T. Posado

The island of 9.6 million people is facing a deep economic crisis, exacerbated by the suspension of crude oil shipments from Venezuela following the capture by U.S. forces of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of the Cuban government.

Donald Trump accused of wanting to “suffocate” Cuba

Havana accuses American President Donald Trump of wanting to "suffocate" the island's economy, where emergency measures, such as gasoline rationing, a four-day week in administrations, teleworking and even remote university courses, have been in force since Monday. The fuel shortage has also led the country's health authorities to reduce hospital staff and suspend non-essential surgeries.

Read also Rationing, closed hotels, four-day week... Cuba facing energy asphyxiation

“Interfering with fuel imports could cause a serious humanitarian crisis, with knock-on effects on essential services,” a group of experts at the UN warned in a statement on Thursday, but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.

Washington's energy stranglehold hits an island already struggling for six years with a severe economic crisis marked by a lack of foreign currency, high inflation, shortages of all kinds, long power cuts, under the combined effects of the tightening of the American embargo and the structural weaknesses of its centralized economy.

With AFP

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.