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The Prime Minister of the Cuban regime, Manuel Marrero challenged U.S. President Donald Trump following his ultimatum to the Cuban regime this Sunday.
"What's always bothered the US about #Cuba is our sovereign determination to be free and independent, our ability to resist, without ever yielding, every suffocating measure, and above all, our deep conviction of being an eternal Baraguá,” Marrero said on X.
"In the face of threats, we respond like Maceo: ‘Whoever tries to seize #Cuba will only gather the dust of its ground soaked in blood, if they do not perish in the struggle,’ he added."
Miguel Díaz-Canel, sounding defensive and responding with slogans, reacted this Sunday to the verbal and political offensive launched from Washington by Trump.
His message, shared on social media, comes amid an unprecedented escalation of regional tension that has left the Cuban regime without its main external support and facing a direct threat of total suffocation.
"Those who turn everything into a business, even human lives, have no moral grounds to criticize Cuba," wrote the Cuban leader, visibly upset.
In his post, he accused the United States of acting with "rage" due to the Cuban people's decision to maintain their political model and again blamed the embargo for the hardships the country faces.
The message concluded with a warning that "no one tells us what to do." Furthermore, the leader stated that Cuba "does not threaten, it prepares" and is ready to defend itself "to the last drop of blood."
The responses from Marrero and Díaz-Canel come just hours after Trump issued an unprecedented ultimatum to the Havana regime. From his account on Truth Social, the U.S. president announced the definitive end of the oil and money that Cuba had received for years from Venezuela in exchange for "security services" to chavismo. "There will be no more oil or money for Cuba. Nothing!" Trump declared, while advising Havana to "reach an agreement before it's too late."
The message had an immediate impact, not only because of its threatening tone, but also due to the context surrounding it, following the recent capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro after a U.S. military operation in Caracas and the confirmation that dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban soldiers died during the offensive.
Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez denied that Cuba has ever charged for security services. However, beyond the denials, the nervousness is evident.
Díaz-Canel's reaction also coincided with symbolic gestures that have further ignited social media. Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself smoking a cigar on a street in Havana, surrounded by Cuban flags and almendrones.
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