Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío delivered a strong warning to the United States on Sunday, saying the island’s military is “prepared” to respond to any US “aggression” as the Trump administration continues to press for regime change in the country.
This came after President Donald Trump on Monday stating at the White House that he believes he will have the “honour” of taking Cuba, according to Reuters. “I do believe I’ll be the honor of — having the honor of taking Cuba. That’d be a good hon — that’s a big honor. I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth,” Trump said.
While speaking with NBC, Carlos mentioned that he couldn’t comprehend why America would hit the island, noting “our military is always prepared. And in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression”.
“Our country has historically been ready to mobilize, as a nation as a whole, for military aggression,” Claros added.
Carlos said Cuba has always viewed such a possibility as distant and unlikely, but added that it would be foolish not to stay prepared.
Although American presidents have reportedly sought a change in Cuba’s government ever since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, Carlos asserted that regime change remains completely unacceptable. According to him, Cuba is a sovereign nation with the right to self-determination and would never agree to become a subordinate or dependent state under any country or superpower.
Carlos said Cuba’s economy has sharply deteriorated since the Trump administration captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
He noted that the United States had cut off Venezuelan oil supplies, which are vital to supporting Cuba’s economy, while the country’s transport, health, and education systems were also under pressure. He described the US oil blockade as extremely harsh and accused Washington of pressuring other countries with “coercive measures” to prevent fuel shipments to Cuba.
Carlos also said Cuba hoped fuel would continue to reach the island by some means and expressed confidence that the US-imposed boycott could not be maintained indefinitely.
Carlos on talks with US
Although the United States and Havana are currently holding talks led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, Carlos said those discussions do not involve regime change or the release of political prisoners.
“We are in dialogue with the United States to talk about bilateral issues. We’re not talking about prisoners in the United States, and the U.S. has the highest record of prisoners in the world,” Carlos mentioned.
While Rubio said this week that Cuba would collapse “on its own” and that Havana’s leaders “don’t know how to fix” the country, Carlos rejected the idea that Cuba was in any state of collapse.
He remarked, “What does ‘on its own’ mean when it’s being forced by the United States? It’s a very bizarre statement”, adding, “Why does the U.S. government need to employ so many resources, so much political capital, so many human resources, to try to destroy the economy of another country? Evidently, it implies that the country does not have the characteristics to collapse on its own.”
