LatinNews Daily - 18 February 2026

*Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that Mexico is going to continue sending humanitarian aid to Cuba, but stated that “we are not going to send fuel for the time being”. Speaking in a press conference, Sheinbaum said that Mexico would send food and other items requested by Cuba’s government led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel. While she she reiterated that her government did not agree with the imposition of tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba by the US administration of President Donald Trump¸ she said it was necessary “that we protect the people of Mexico and our country”. The US oil blockade has exacerbated the existing economic and energy crisis in Cuba. In the latest blow to the country, yesterday (17 February) Canadian mining company Sherritt International Corporation announced it had reduced operations at its joint venture with Cuba’s state-owned mining firm General Nickel Company S.A. in Moa municipality, Holguín province, citing “fuel supply constraints affecting the country”. The joint venture has an open pit lateritic ore mine and processing facility where ore is processed into mixed sulphide precipitate containing nickel and cobalt. Sherritt stated that it expects to pause mining operations and place the processing plant on standby within the next week, with planned maintenance work to take place. It said that it had “received notification that planned fuel deliveries for Moa will not be fulfilled and the timeline for resumption of deliveries is unknown at this time”.

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