The Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel issued a direct warning to the administration of Donald Trump last Friday during an event held at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana for the 95th birthday of Raúl Castro and the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint): "If the homeland is attacked, we will respond in legitimate defense. And if they try to enter, there should be no doubt, there will be determined and firm combat."
The speech occurs in the context of an ongoing escalation of tensions between Cuba and Washington. On May 1, 2026, Trump signed a new executive order that expanded sanctions on the energy, defense, mining, and finance sectors, and on the same day declared to supporters in Florida that the United States would "take Cuba almost immediately."
Before the warning, Díaz-Canel tried to project an image of moderation: "Cuba wants peace. Cuba does not provoke, does not attack, nor does it challenge. We continue to bet on an atmosphere of understanding with the United States based on mutual respect despite our differences, as has been shown to be possible."
However, the tone of the speech quickly hardened when addressing the possibility of U.S. military action, invoking the Cuban doctrine of the "War of All the People," a concept of total defense of the island in the face of a potential invasion that the regime has reactivated in recent months.
The president also dedicated a central part of his speech to praising the figure of Raúl Castro, who was received with a prolonged ovation upon his arrival at the theater. "Raúl is Raúl, the people say from every podium," declared Díaz-Canel, adding that "Raúl is Cuba and Cuba is untouchable." This marks the most notable reappearance of the Army General in recent times, just two weeks after being legally indicted in the U.S. for the downing of two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in 1996 in international waters.
Díaz-Canel described the nonagenarian ex-dictator as an "indispensable figure of the Revolution" whose "long record of service to the homeland is not diminished by enemy campaigns or false accusations," and noted that alongside Fidel Castro, he "now holds a distinguished place in the dignified and uplifting history of the Cuban nation."
In the event, the Minister of the Interior, Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, read a congratulatory message from Raúl Castro to the institution's fighters: "I extend my heartfelt congratulations to your officers, combatants, civilian workers, and students. May you receive our deepest recognition for being an indispensable bastion in the defense of the sovereignty and tranquility of the Cuban nation."
Díaz-Canel also recognized Commander Ramiro Valdés Menéndez as the founding chief of Minint and highlighted "the heroism of the 32 Cubans who fell fighting in Venezuela," as well as the bravery of five young people who, according to the regime, faced an armed infiltration. Addressing the fighters of Minint, he stated: "You are the best expression of what it means to resist and creatively overcome the onslaught of the Empire."
The leader acknowledged the "complex moment" the country is going through, attributing it to the intensification of the embargo materialized in two executive orders and an energy blockade imposed by Washington. The first of these orders, Executive Order 14380, was signed on January 29, 2026, declaring the Cuban government an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security of the United States.
Since January 2025, the Trump administration has accumulated over 240 sanctions against Cuba, measures that have exacerbated the already critical electricity supply crisis on the island, which the regime describes as an "energy siege" against the Cuban people, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio presents them as indirect sanctions against third parties.
The full speech by Díaz-Canel, who has not toned down his belligerent stance towards the U.S. in recent weeks, was published on the official site of the Presidency of Cuba.
Filed under: