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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has asserted that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to launch a military assault on Cuba or to seek his overthrow.
During an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Díaz-Canel emphasized that any invasion of Cuba would come at a great cost and destabilize regional security. He assured that if such an event occurred, the Cuban people would stand ready to defend their nation.
“There would be no justification for the U.S. to commit military aggression against Cuba or to conduct a targeted operation to abduct a president,” Díaz-Canel declared, using a translator to communicate his message.
He continued, “Should this scenario unfold, we will resist and fight back. If necessary, we are prepared to sacrifice our lives, as our national anthem proclaims, ‘To die for our homeland is to live’.”
These remarks arise amid ongoing strained relations between Cuba and the United States, even as both nations have acknowledged engaging in discussions, though specifics have not been disclosed.
Díaz-Canel has accused the U.S. government of implementing a “hostile policy” against Cuba and said it has “no moral to demand anything from Cuba.” He noted that Cuba is interested in engaging in dialogue and discussing any topic without conditions, “not demanding changes from our political system as we are not demanding change from the American system, about which we have a number of doubts.”
Cuba blames a U.S. energy blockade for its deepening woes, with a lack of petroleum affecting the island’s health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services.
Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes, and it stopped receiving key oil shipments from Venezuela after the U.S. military attacked the South American country in early January, seized President Nicolás Maduro and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Then, with cooperation from ruling party leaders, the Trump administration began implementing a phased plan to end Venezuela’s entrenched crisis.
The arrival of a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil in Cuba in March marked the island’s first oil shipment in three months. Russia has promised to send a second tanker.
Despite threatening tariffs in January on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the Trump administration allowed the tanker to proceed.
“Cuba’s finished,” President Donald Trump said at the time. “They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”
Díaz-Canel said his government takes Trump’s words as a warning.
“You hear that Cuba is next, that Cuba is going to be next, that there are, there’s a way out, that they’re going to take over Cuba,” he said. “So, from the position of responsibility within the leadership of the country, that is a warning. And we need to responsibly protect our people, protect our project and protect our country.”