Cuba said it is preparing for the possibility of a U.S. invasion, escalating rhetoric as tensions deepen over President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against the island and Havana’s worsening economic crisis.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the Cuban military “is always prepared, and in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression.”
Fernández de Cossío later added that leaders “truly hope that it doesn’t occur. We don’t see why it would have to occur, and we find no justification whatsoever.”
TRUMP ‘OVERPOWERED’ OPPOSITION: BYRON YORK
On Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that any attempt to force a leadership change would result in “impregnable resistance.”
The escalation in Cuban rhetoric comes after Trump last week said he believed he would have “the honor” of “taking Cuba in some form,” language that alarmed officials in Havana and intensified speculation about Washington’s intentions toward the communist-run country.
Trump’s remarks followed a series of aggressive moves by his administration, including an oil blockade that has deepened shortages on the island and contributed to major blackouts.
Cuba has been grappling with severe power outages, fuel shortages, and transport disruptions, conditions officials blame in large part on tightened U.S. sanctions and the interruption of oil supplies that had previously come from allies such as Venezuela.
Fernández de Cossío also rejected the idea that Cuba’s leadership structure or the future of Diaz-Canel is up for negotiation in talks with the United States.
Even so, the Pentagon’s top commander for Latin America sought to tamp down fears of imminent military action.
Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, told lawmakers on Thursday that the U.S. military is not rehearsing an invasion or takeover of Cuba, according to reporting by Reuters.
Donovan said current planning is focused instead on protecting the U.S. Embassy in Havana, defending the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, and supporting the Department of Homeland Security in the event of mass migration from the island.
TRUMP SAYS OTHER COUNTRIES WILL HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SECURITY
Cuba has been on Washington’s mind for some time, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would “be concerned” if he were in the Cuban government following the U.S. cooperation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Trump offered more insight into what is next for Cuba when he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would turn to Cuba after ending the war in Iran.
