Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has vowed to stay in power and resist any potential U.S. takeover.
In a post on X, translated to English, Díaz-Canel wrote: “In the face of the worst scenario, Cuba is accompanied by a certainty: any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance.”
#EEUU amenaza públicamente a #Cuba, casi a diario, con derrocar por la fuerza el orden constitucional. Y usa un indignante pretexto: las duras limitaciones de la debilitada economía que ellos han agredido y pretendido aislar hace más de seis décadas.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 18, 2026
Pretenden y anuncian planes…
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Trump and Rubio escalate rhetoric on Cuba
The warning comes as rhetoric from the Trump administration ramps up, with Cuba increasingly framed as a potential next front in U.S. foreign policy. President Donald Trump said earlier this week it would be his “honor” to take over Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, echoed that statement Tuesday.
Rubio pointed to the country’s struggling economy, calling it “non-functional,” and said Cuba has long relied on subsidies from Venezuela and Russia.
“They don’t get subsidies anymore, so they’re in a lot of trouble,” he said. “And the people in charge, they don’t know how to fix it, so they have to get new people in charge.”
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Miguel Díaz-Canel has served as Cuba’s president since 2018 and is the first leader since 1959 not to be named Castro.
Díaz-Canel warns of US intentions
Díaz-Canel accused the U.S. of using Cuba’s economic crisis as a pretext for intervention.
“The US publicly threatens Cuba almost daily, with overthrowing the constitutional order by force,” he said. “They intend and announce plans to seize the country, its resources, its properties, and even the very economy they seek to strangle to make us surrender.”
US-Cuba talks tied to leadership change
As Straight Arrow News reported this week, citing the New York Times, U.S. officials have told Cuban negotiators that Díaz-Canel must step aside.
The reported strategy focuses on removing him as head of state without dismantling the Community Party.
Both sides have confirmed talks are taking place. Trump has said he can do “anything I want” when dealing with what he describes as a weakened nation.
Energy crisis deepens pressure on Cuba
The tensions come as Cuba faces a worsening energy crisis. Power started to come back Tuesday night after a nationwide blackout that lasted almost 30 hours.
The crisis has intensified following the U.S. operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year, cutting off a key source of subsidized oil to Cuba.
Russian signals support, but aid unclear
Russia is now signaling support for its longtime ally.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow “is ready to provide all possible assistance,” with discussions underway.
But there are no clear signs that aid is arriving. The Moscow Times reported that no Russian oil shipments have reached Cuba since early January.
