Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister says its military is preparing for ‘military violence’ from the US

Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister said on Saturday that the country’s military is involved in ongoing plans for a “possible military attack” from the US, adding that it would be “foolish” for Cuban leaders to ignore the possibility of conflict with the US.

“Our soldiers are always prepared, and in fact, they are preparing these days for military violence,” Carlos Fernández de Cossío told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

He added, “we would be naive,” not to think that there could be conflicts “when we look at what is happening around the world.”

Fernández de Cossío said the country’s leaders “really hope it won’t happen. We don’t see why it should happen, and we don’t find a reason.”

His comments come amid tensions between the United States and Cuba following the US military operation in Venezuela that led to the arrest of that country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, who had close ties to the Cuban leadership.

During a press conference following the program, US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that military intervention in Cuba could be next, with Rubio saying at the time, “If I lived in Havana and was in government, I would be worried.”

In January, the president signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or supply oil to the country. Residents of the island have experienced daily power outages during the US shutdown. The country’s electricity grid collapsed on Saturday, leaving the country without electricity for the third time in March.

On Saturday, Fernández de Cossío said the oil embargo is the result of US aggression against Cuba and “it cannot continue forever.”

“What is happening today is that the US is threatening to take measures to force countries that may send fuel to Cuba, which is why Cuba is not getting fuel for a long time,” said the deputy minister of foreign affairs. “It is very difficult, and we are working very quickly to deal with this situation. We hope that the fuel will reach Cuba one way or another, and that this embargo imposed by the United States does not last and will not continue forever.”

Earlier this month, Trump said Cuba is “going to fall soon” and its leaders “want to make a deal badly.” Later in the month, Trump told reporters, he would “have the right” to take over Cuba, saying “I think I can do whatever I want with it.” Those comments came a few days after Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canal acknowledged that Cuban leaders are in talks with American leaders to reach an agreement and avoid military conflict.

On Saturday, in response to Trump’s comments about having the “glory” of taking over Cuba, de Cossio said, “we don’t know what they’re talking about. But I can tell you this, Cuba is an independent country and it has the right to be an independent country.”

Fernández de Cossío also responded to Rubio’s comments at the White House this week, telling reporters, “they are in a big problem, and the people in charge, they don’t know how to fix it, so they have to get new people in charge.”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba emphasized that regime change is not on the table in the negotiations between the two countries.

“The state of the Cuban government, the structure of the Cuban government, and members of the Cuban government are not part of the negotiations. That is something that no independent country negotiates,” Fernández de Cossío told “Meet the Press.”

Asked if Cuban leaders would be ready to allow more than one political party to operate in the country, Fernández de Cossío criticized the American political system, saying, “It’s a domestic issue in Cuba. The United States has only two political parties that can go to government. Are they ready to negotiate, so that they have 10 with equal opportunities to enter the presidency, I’m sure I won’t find the United States in Congress? country.”