Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum affirmed Monday that her country is working to reactivate oil shipments to Cuba, amid the tightening of the blockade imposed by the United States against the Caribbean nation.

Responding to a question about the arrival of a Russian vessel carrying a crude oil cargo to the island, Sheinbaum noted during her regular press conference that Mexico has been sending material assistance to Cuba and will continue to do so.

"And also," she added, "the work we have with Cuba on trade agreements — that is a separate matter. One thing is humanitarian aid, and the other is the commercial agreements we have with Cuba, and that also involves oil shipments."

"Because part of it is humanitarian and part of it involves commercial agreements that have existed, as I have said, for decades — this is not something new. And on both fronts we are working with them," the president stated from the National Palace.

Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico has every right to send fuel, whether for humanitarian or commercial reasons, but reiterated her desire to avoid creating friction with the United States, noting that "at some point there were tariffs from Washington if shipments were made."

"Afterward the tariffs were reduced and we always sought the humanitarian aid channel. It is within that context that we will make our decision, and the public will always be informed if oil is sent to Cuba or not," she said.

The president also referenced the existence of private companies on the island that "are seeking private buyers willing to bring them fuel — not necessarily through a government-to-government arrangement."

"There are private parties who have approached us, for example, to purchase fuel from Pemex and deliver it themselves to private buyers in Cuba. That is one of the requests that has come to Pemex from the private sector. There are several companies, not just one," she explained.

Sheinbaum reiterated her government's commitment to sending a range of products to Cuba and reaffirmed Mexico's defense of the Cuban people's right to self-determination.

"No one should intervene, and if there is any problem related to that, there are multilateral bodies for that purpose. There should be no intervention by one country over another. The Mexico-Cuba relationship is historic. It is not something new — it is historic, and we will continue to support the Cuban people," she stated.

The president also disclosed that she made a personal donation of 20,000 Mexican pesos — approximately $1,104 dollars — in response to a fundraising call published in the prominent newspaper La Jornada and backed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aimed at gathering resources to purchase goods destined for the island.