The Foreign Minister of Mexico, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, held a telephone call this Friday with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in which both parties reiterated their willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation on common interest agendas, the Ministry of Foreign Relations reported. In a social media post, the Mexican Foreign Ministry noted that the conversation took place 'this afternoon' and that both officials agreed to promote cooperation between their agencies. Meanwhile, an official statement from the State Department—attributed to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott—indicated that Rubio spoke with De la Fuente about 'the progress of shared priorities and regional security,' without offering more details on specific topics discussed. The call occurred one day after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a mechanism to impose additional tariffs on imports from countries that directly or indirectly sell or supply oil to Cuba. The decree stipulates that the US Department of Commerce will determine if a country supplies crude or petroleum products to the island, and subsequently, the State Department will recommend whether to proceed with the additional tariff and to what extent. By the end of 2025, Mexico became Cuba's main oil supplier after shipments from Venezuela collapsed. Hours earlier, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that her government will seek 'different alternatives' to support the Cuban people and warned that the measure could 'trigger a large-scale humanitarian crisis' on the island, affecting hospitals, food, and basic services. You may be interested | United States confirms all its citizens imprisoned in Venezuela have been released. Sheinbaum said she instructed the Ministry of Foreign Relations to contact the US government to accurately determine the scope of the decree and to raise the humanitarian risk, in line with Mexico's historical stance of solidarity with Cuba. Last Wednesday, Sheinbaum spoke by phone with her counterpart Trump in a nearly 40-minute conversation described as cordial and productive. EFE
