THE TELEGRAPH: Deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío says it would be ‘naive’ to ignore the possibility of conflict
Cuba is preparing for possible military aggression from the US, one of the island’s leading diplomats has said.
The two countries have been in talks for weeks as an oil blockade of Cuba has caused one of the worst energy crises on the island in decades.
But in recent days, Donald Trump and senior administration officials have ramped up their rhetoric about hopes of seeing a change of government, with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, saying on Tuesday that Cuba needed “new people in charge”.
Speaking to reporters this week, Mr Trump said he believed he would have “the honour of taking Cuba”.
Asked what he meant by “taking” the country, he said: “Whether I free it, take it - I think I can do anything I want with it.”
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, told NBC in an interview aired on Sunday that it would be “naive” for the country’s leaders to ignore the possibility of conflict with the US.
“Our military is always prepared. And in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression,” he said.
“Our military is always prepared. And in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression,” he said. » | Ben Stockton | Sunday, March 22, 2026
