Miguel Díaz-Canel warned this Thursday of a possible military aggression by the United States against Cuba and called on the people to prepare to fight it.
"Compatriots, the moment is extremely challenging and calls us once again, just like on that April 16, 1961, to be ready to face serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to prevent it, and if it were inevitable, to win it," said Díaz-Canel.
His speech was at the commemorative event for the 65th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Socialist Character of the Revolution, held at the corner of 23 and 12 in Vedado, Havana.
This event traditionally takes place on the same stage where Fidel Castro proclaimed socialism on April 16, 1961, a day before the Bay of Pigs invasion, a parallel that the regime deliberately evoked in light of the escalating tension with Washington.
Díaz-Canel described the current moment as "absolutely challenging" and categorized the threat of attack as part of a "multidimensional aggression" against the island, but he assures that in the event of such a confrontation, Cuba will win.
"We have faith in the victory that Fidel instilled in us, we believe in dialogue and the extraordinary power of peace to sustain life on the planet," he said. "As long as there is a woman and a man willing to give their lives for the Revolution, we will continue to prevail," he added.
Before concluding his speech, he sent a message to the United States: "It is essential to think about everything that would affect human lives for our two nations if they were dragged into a senseless, illogical conflict, for which there are neither excuses nor justifications, when there is so much we can do together."
The speech this Thursday is not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a series of bellicose statements made in recent weeks.
On April 7, in an interview with Newsweek, Díaz-Canel warned that Cuba would respond with a "war of the entire people" in the event of an attack: "We will always work for peace, but if there is a military aggression, we will fight and defend ourselves."
Last Monday, in an interview with NBC News, he went even further: "There will be struggle, there will be difficulties, and the Cuban people will defend themselves. If we have to die, we will die, because as our own national anthem says: To die for the homeland is to live."
In that same interview, he rejected Washington's demands to release more than 1,200 political prisoners, hold multiparty elections, and ensure a free press.
Additionally, he denied fearing capture or elimination like what happened with Nicolás Maduro, stating: "I am not afraid. I am willing to give my life for the revolution."
The Trump administration and its pressure on Cuba
On March 16, Trump declared from the White House: "I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba." On March 27, in Miami Beach, he added: "Cuba is next, but pretend I didn't say that."
This Wednesday, the Republican president stated, "We may stop in Cuba after we finish with this," referring to the conflict with Iran. That same day, USA Today revealed, citing two anonymous sources, that the Pentagon has discreetly accelerated planning for a possible military operation in Cuba.
This Thursday, the Department of Defense avoided confirming specific plans but assured that the armed forces are ready to act if Trump orders it.
The United States has also intensified economic pressure against Cuba
On January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, which declared the Cuban government an "extraordinary threat to national security" and imposed tariffs on countries that supply oil to the island.
The capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 also interrupted the supply of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, worsening an energy crisis that is already causing blackouts of up to twenty hours a day.
While the regime calls for events in support of the Revolution, the internal reality of the island is one of collapse across all sectors.
Trump had ruled out intervention in Cuba on March 13. However, his subsequent statements and the movements of the Pentagon have rekindled uncertainty about Washington's true plans regarding Havana.
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