Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned on Monday that any American military aggression against the island would have “incalculable consequences.”
“The threats of military aggression against Cuba from the planet’s largest military power are well known,” wrote Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on social media this Monday, May 18. “The threat alone is an international crime. Carrying it out would provoke a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, as well as the destruction of peace and stability,” he continued.
Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, the United States has intensified its policy of “maximum pressure” towards Cuba, with a thinly veiled objective: to provoke a regime change. The noose tightened after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American forces and the takeover of Venezuela’s oil production, upon which Cuba heavily depended. Washington then moved to block oil deliveries from other countries to the island, hastening the collapse of an already fragile power grid.
“I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba,” declared Donald Trump openly. “Taking Cuba, whether I free it, whether I take it, I believe I can do whatever I want with it, if you want to know the truth,” he told journalists in March, also viewing Venezuela as a mere “first step.” “I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba. That would be great. It’s a great honor,” he added. When asked by Politico, the White House simply reiterated Trump’s statements, stating that the country “will fail and we will be there to help.”
The military aspect of the situation took on a new turn this Sunday, May 17. Axios reported that some American intelligence officials believed Cuba had acquired over 300 military drones and was considering attacks on the American base at Guantanamo Bay, military ships, or even the city of Key West in Florida. The Cuban embassy in the United States responded on Sunday in a statement, suggesting that it was a fabricated pretext to justify a strike against the island.
