Mexican President Sheinbaum Says The Country Could Go Back To Sending Oil To Cuba

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country could go back to sending oil to Cuba, whether it is as humanitarian aid or for commercial purposes.

Speaking during her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said the government "always seeks (to send) humanitarian aid, and it ​is in that context that ​we will make the decision."

She did not give a specific timeline for such a decision, but could be encouraged by President Donald Trump not enforcing a blockade preventing Cuba from receiving fuel and illustrated by the arrival of a Russian tanker this week.

"We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need... they have to survive," Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One on Sunday night.

"If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it's Russia or not," Trump added, saying that the country is "finished." "Whether or not they get a boat of oil, it's not going to matter."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told press that the delivery was "raised well in advance" with the Trump administration.

He claimed that the "brutal blockade" was jeopardizing "life-support systems and electricity generation" and preventing the medical sector from operating properly. "Russia сonsiders it its duty not to stand aside, but to provide the necessary assistance to our Cuban friends."

However, the relief could prove to be short-lived. Experts consulted by CNN estimated that the supply could last between 10 and 30 days once refined and distributed.

"This represents very little," Jorge Piñón, director for Latin America at the University of Texas Energy Institute, told CNN. "It has a very limited economic and humanitarian life." He estimated that once processed into usable fuel, particularly diesel, the supply could last "10 to 15 days."

Energy analyst Ramsés Pech offered a slightly broader range, saying refined fuel could last "15 to 30 days" before shortages return.

The oil must first undergo a multi-step process. It needs to be transported from the port of Matanzas to a refinery in Havana, a process that can take five to seven days. Refining itself may take up to 20 additional days due to outdated infrastructure. "It's not 'arrive and use it,'" Pech said, noting that laboratory testing and conditioning are required before processing begins.

Originally published on Latin Times