Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Says It Is Preparing For Possible U.s. 'military Aggression'

Cuba’s lawman overseas curate connected Saturday said that nan nation’s subject is progressive successful ongoing preparations for “the anticipation of subject aggression” from nan U.S., adding that it would beryllium “naive” for Cuba’s leaders to disregard nan anticipation of conflict pinch nan U.S.

“Our subject is ever prepared, and successful fact, it is preparing these days for nan anticipation of subject aggression,” Carlos Fernández de Cossío told NBC News’ “Meet nan Press” successful an question and reply that aired Sunday.

He added, “we would beryllium naive,” not to see nan anticipation of conflict “looking astatine what’s happening astir nan world.”

Fernández de Cossío said nan country’s leaders “truly dream that it doesn’t occur. We don’t spot why it would person to occur, and we find nary justification whatsoever.”

His comments travel amid an escalation successful tensions betwixt nan U.S. and Cuba pursuing nan U.S. subject cognition successful Venezuela that led to nan seizure of that nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro, who had a adjacent narration pinch Cuba’s leadership.

During a property convention pursuing nan operation, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that subject involution successful Cuba could beryllium next, pinch Rubio saying astatine nan time, “If I lived successful Havana and I was successful nan government, I’d beryllium concerned.”

In January, nan president signed an executive bid threatening to enforce tariffs connected equipment from countries that sold aliases provided lipid to nan country. Residents of nan land person suffered regular powerfulness outages amid nan U.S. blockade. Power grids successful nan state collapsed Saturday, leaving nan state without energy for a 3rd clip successful March.

On Saturday, Fernández de Cossío said nan lipid blockade is nan consequence of nan U.S.’ aggression against Cuba and it “cannot beryllium sustained forever.”

“What’s happening coming is that nan US is threatening pinch coercive measures countries that mightiness export substance to Cuba, and that’s nan logic why Cuba has not received substance for a agelong time,” nan lawman overseas curate said. “It is very severe, and we are acting arsenic proactively arsenic we tin to header pinch nan situation. We do dream that substance will scope Cuba 1 measurement aliases nan other, and that this boycott that nan United States has been imposing does not past and cannot beryllium sustained forever.”

Earlier this month, Trump said that Cuba “is going to autumn beautiful soon” and its leaders “want to make a woody truthful badly.” Later successful nan month, Trump told reporters, he would person nan “honor” of taking Cuba, saying “I deliberation I could do thing I want pinch it.” Those comments came conscionable a fewer days aft Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canal acknowledged that Cuban leaders were successful talks pinch U.S. leaders to make a woody and debar subject conflict.

On Saturday, responding to Trump’s comments astir having nan “honor” to return complete Cuba, de Cossio said, “we don’t cognize what they’re talking about. But I tin show you this, Cuba is simply a sovereign state and has nan correct to beryllium a sovereign country.”

Fernández de Cossío besides responded to comments Rubio made astatine nan White House this week, telling reporters, “they’re successful a batch of trouble, and nan group successful complaint are, they don’t cognize really to hole it, truthful they person to get caller group successful charge.”

The Cuban lawman overseas curate insisted that authorities alteration was not connected nan array successful talks betwixt nan 2 nations.

“The quality of nan Cuban government, nan building of nan Cuban government, and nan members of nan Cuban authorities are not portion of nan negotiation. That is thing that nary sovereign state negotiates,” Fernández de Cossío told “Meet nan Press.”

Asked astir whether Cuban leaders would beryllium prepared to let much than 1 governmental statement to run successful nan country, Fernández de Cossío slammed nan U.S. governmental system, saying, “It’s a home rumor of Cuba. The United States has only 2 governmental parties that tin spell to government. Are they fresh to negotiate, to person 10 pinch adjacent possibilities of getting to nan presidency, of getting successful Congress? I’m judge nan United States would not discuss that pinch immoderate country.”