Cuban official reacts to Trump saying he’ll have “honor of taking Cuba”

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday the island’s military has been preparing for the “possibility of military aggression” from the United States after President Donald Trump recently told reporters he would have the “honor of taking Cuba…in some form.”

Meanwhile, Havana and Washington have acknowledged limited contacts with one another amid a deepening energy crisis on the island linked to U.S. efforts to choke off fuel supplies.

Why It Matters

The latest statements underscore fast-rising U.S.-Cuba tensions following a U.S. operation in Venezuela in January that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, a close Cuban ally, and a U.S. campaign to deter oil shipments to Cuba.

The White House’s pressure campaign has included an executive order threatening tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba and public comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaling leadership change in Havana even as Cuban officials said regime change was not up for negotiation.

Along with the blockade of oil to the communist island and aging infrastructure, Cuba has experienced repeated islandwide blackouts throughout March.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister said the U.S. had been “threatening with coercive measures” any country that might export fuel to Cuba, arguing the boycott “cannot be sustained forever.”

What Did Trump Say About Cuba?

Last week, Trump said he believes he will have the “honor of taking Cuba” as the island faces worsening economic conditions and power grid blackouts amid a U.S. oil blockade, all of which have resulted in protests. On Monday, Cuba dealt with an outage affecting the entire island, home to 11 million people.

Trump previously threatened a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, a longtime U.S. adversary. He also confirmed earlier this month the Cuban government was in talks with the U.S. but did not provide any details of the engagement.

“I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba. That’s a big honor. Taking Cuba in some form,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth. They are a very weakened nation right now.”

Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Responds

When asked by NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Meet the Press on Sunday whether Cuba was preparing for a potential engagement with the U.S., Fernández de Cossío said its “military is always prepared” and that it’s “preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression,” adding that Cuban leaders “truly hope” conflict “doesn’t occur” and see “no justification whatsoever.”

“Cuba is a sovereign country and has the right to be a sovereign country and has the right to self-determination,” he said. “Cuba would not accept to become a vassal state or a dependent state from any other country or any other superpower.”

Fernández de Cossío said the structure and membership of Cuba’s government “are not part of the negotiation,” calling such issues nonnegotiable for a sovereign country, and said when pressed that regime change was “absolutely” off the table.

“Our country has historically been ready to mobilize, as a nation as a whole, for military aggression,” he said Sunday. “We truly always see it as something far from us. We don’t believe it is something that is probable. But we would be naive if we do not prepare. That’s what I can tell you.”

Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned last week that any external aggressor would face “impregnable resistance.”

What Happens Next

Cuban and U.S. officials signaled willingness to continue communications, though Cuban diplomats said talks had not advanced to a formal negotiating table as of early February.

Energy shortages and blackouts remain an immediate concern in Cuba, with Havana vowing to seek alternative fuel supplies while pressing for sanctions relief, multiple outlets reported.

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