The Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that Cuba would respond with a guerrilla campaign if the United States launches a military attack, and assured that any operation of this kind would leave immense losses for both nations and their peoples.
The statements were made in an exclusive interview with Newsweek at the Presidential Palace in Havana, the first that Díaz-Canel has granted to a U.S. media outlet since 2023, in response to President Donald Trump's threats to "take" the island.
"We will always strive to avoid war. We will always work for peace, but if military aggression occurs, we will retaliate, we will fight, we will defend ourselves," stated the Cuban leader.
Díaz-Canel invoked the doctrine of the "war of the entire people" to support his warning, stating that "the loss of lives and material destruction would be incalculable" and that such aggression "would be extremely costly in every sense."
He also evoked the National Anthem of Cuba, a battle hymn, noting: "And if we fall in battle, to die for the homeland is to live".
The leader acknowledged the asymmetry in economic power, resources, and military capability between Cuba and the United States, but insisted that there is no justification for military action.
"There is no pretext or excuse for the United States to resort to military aggression as a way to resolve our differences," he said.
Trump's threats occur amid a devastating energy crisis for Cuba, exacerbated by the Executive Order 14380, signed on January 29, which imposes tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island.
That measure, combined with the loss of Venezuelan supplies following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the suspension of shipments from Mexico, reduced Cuba's crude oil imports by between 80% and 90%, causing blackouts of up to 25-30 hours daily affecting 64% of the country.
After the military operations in Venezuela and Iran this year, Trump stated on various occasions that Cuba would be "next" and claimed that he would have the "honor of taking Havana in some way."
Díaz-Canel also ruled out fears for his personal safety, in a context where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Maduro was detained by U.S. special forces.
"I am not concerned about my personal safety. The leadership of the Cuban State, the Communist Party of Cuba, and the Revolution is collective. And decisions are made collectively," said the 65-year-old leader.
At the same time, Díaz-Canel expressed his openness to dialogue, albeit with reservations. He confirmed that Cuban and U.S. officials have begun discussions, but described them as "difficult," demanding that any negotiation be "a respectful dialogue on equal terms" and based on international law.
"The current actions of the United States government: proposing supposed conversations with other nations, only to later attack those nations. All of this undoubtedly creates a state of distrust among our people."
A White House official responded to Newsweek that Cuba "is a declining nation whose leaders have faced a significant setback with the loss of support from Venezuela," and that Trump believes an agreement "would be very easy to achieve".
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