2 Mexican Navy ships laden with humanitarian aid dock in Cuba as US
blockade sparks energy crisis
[February 13, 2026]
By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ and MILEXSY DURÁN
HAVANA (AP) — 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 U.S. President Donald Trump threatened
tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, prompting the
island to ration energy in recent days.
The Mexican government said that one ship carried 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 carried just over 277 tons of powdered milk.
Yohandri Espinosa, a 34-year-old engineer, observed the ships arrive
with his daughter and took pictures.
“This is incredibly important aid for the Cuban people at this moment,”
he said. “We are living through difficult times of great need and
uncertainty, and we don’t know how long we will be like this.”
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.
Cuban aviation officials warned airlines earlier this week that there
isn’t enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island. On Monday, Air
Canada announced it was suspending flights to Cuba, while other airlines
announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights
continued to Havana. The cuts in fuel are expected to be another blow to
Cuba’s once thriving tourism economy.
“Sometimes you think that things are going to improve, but it’s not like
that,” said Javier González, a Cuban who sat on Havana’s famed seawall
watching the Mexican ships arrive. “We can’t stay how we are because
it’s too hard. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that as soon as the
ships return, “we will send more support of different kinds.” Her
administration noted that it still plans to send 1,500 tons of beans and
powdered milk.
Sheinbaum has previously said the humanitarian aid would be sent while
diplomatic maneuvering to resume oil supplies is underway. She says
Mexico has told the United States it seeks to promote peaceful dialogue
and ensure Cuba “can receive oil and its derivatives for its daily
operations.”
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A man walks his dog along Havana Bay where the Mexican Navy ship
Papaloapan, carrying aid according to the Mexican government,
arrives in Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
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.
Meanwhile, speaking with journalists on Thursday, the Russian
presidential spokesman declined to comment on whether Russia might
send oil supplies to Cuba.
“It’s impossible to discuss these issues publicly right now for
obvious reasons,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He also
stressed said that Moscow did not want an escalation with the United
States over the situation: “Probably, we are still counting on
constructive dialogue."
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.
Cuba has also reduced bank hours and suspended cultural events,
while fuel distribution companies have said that sales only will be
made in dollars and limited to 20 liters (5.28 gallons) per user.
In addition to severe blackouts, Cuban officials say 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.
___
Associated Press reporters Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England
and Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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