Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced this Friday that the measures announced by the United States government aim to deprive Cuba of fuel, which he described as an act of "imperialist malice and wickedness."
During the Extraordinary Plenary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party in Havana, the leader directly blamed Donald Trump for imposing an energy blockade aimed at “totally suffocating” the island.
It refers to the executive order signed by Trump this week, which aims to cut off the supply of oil to Cuba by imposing tariffs on countries that send fuel to the island.
“The lines of action of the U.S. government consist, on one hand, of continuing economic pressure— to which the decisions announced this Thursday by Trump regarding the blockade through tariffs on oil supplies respond—and on the other hand, of military aggression,” affirmed Díaz-Canel.
The Cuban leader stated that the new sanctions aim to prevent Cuba from acquiring the fuel needed to sustain its economy and daily life in the country.
“Trump has had to acknowledge that there is nothing left to take away from the Cuban people, and now they want to deprive us of fuel, something essential for any country to develop its economy and way of life,” he added.
"There is to see the malice and wickedness with which they are proposing that policy," he said, while accusing the U.S. president and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, of promoting a strategy of "total pressure and economic blackmail."
About the fuel blockade, he concluded: "Our premise will continue to be to prepare ourselves to move forward even as aggression and restrictions become more pronounced. Never will surrender be the option."
Miguel Díaz-Canel's statements come amid a new deterioration of bilateral relations following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
The Cuban regime, one of Caracas's main allies, has reported that Washington is planning a similar offensive against Cuba.
Díaz-Canel reiterated that the communist regime will not renounce its principles. “We are a country of peace, but dialogue with the United States can only happen under conditions of respect and equality, without pressures or preconditions,” he concluded.
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