The Governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González Colón, stated last Friday in an interview that the United States is going to have a war with Cuba "in the coming weeks," as part of a debate on Puerto Rico's statehood and the island's strategic value to Washington.
The statements were made during a nearly 56-minute interview on Molusco's program on KACU 105, published on YouTube by MoluscoTV. González listed the current conflicts of the United States to argue that Puerto Rico is an indispensable territory: "We have a war with China, we have a war with Iran, we have a war with Russia, we even had a war just the other day with Venezuela, and we are going to have one with Cuba in the coming weeks."
The governor did not make the comment as an official announcement or as a diplomatic warning, but rather as part of a political argument in favor of statehood, asserting that Puerto Rico should not be seen as "the ugly duckling," but rather as a key strategic hub in the pharmaceutical and military supply chain of the United States.
"Puerto Rico is key in these matters. We were crucial for Venezuela just six months ago, and we will be key for U.S. public policy in Latin America," González stated, apparently referring to operations related to the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026.
The statement comes at the height of escalating tensions between Washington and Havana. On May 20, the U.S. Department of Justice declassified a formal indictment against Raúl Castro and five former Cuban military officers for the shooting down of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, with charges that include conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens and four counts of homicide.
On the same day, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was deployed in the Caribbean alongside a destroyer and a logistics ship. Russia accused the United States of preparing an "armed intervention" against Cuba, while the Cuban regime distributed survival guides for the population in the event of possible military attacks.
Trump declared on May 21 that the naval deployment was not meant to intimidate Cuba.
González drew a historical parallel with the Cold War: "Ronald Reagan said at that time that Puerto Rico was ready and prepared to be part of the United States and that it was more beneficial for the United States to have Puerto Rico as a state. And there was a Cold War going on at that time." The governor argued that the current geopolitical context is even more favorable for the cause of statehood.
The official also revealed that she has held meetings with the Department of Defense and DARPA "for the development of new drugs and new technologies" from Puerto Rico, and emphasized that 46% of the island's economy is comprised of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In February 2026, González had already publicly declared that he would support "everything that is to back our military forces and the public policy of the president" to "liberate the Cuban people," in line with the stance of the Trump administration, which since January 2026 labeled the Cuban regime as an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security through Executive Order 14380.
The United States Senate rejected on April 29, 2026, by a vote of 51 to 47, a measure to limit Trump's military powers over Cuba, leaving the president with a wide range of options regarding Havana.
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