Cuban envoy warns of ‘bloodbath’ if US invades amid escalating Trump-era tensions

WASHINGTON, DC: Cuba’s top diplomat in the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, on Friday, May 15, said Havana is standing firm on its “red lines” as negotiations with the Trump administration remain stalled and fears grow over potential military escalation between the two countries.

Rivera said discussions with Washington have made “no progress” and stressed that Cuba’s sovereignty and independence are not open for negotiation.

The remarks came during a period of deepening crisis on the island, after Cuba’s energy minister announced the country had exhausted its fuel supplies amid a US blockade, triggering widespread protests in Havana following weeks of prolonged blackouts. 

Cuba prepares defense amid invasion fears

Speaking to The Hill at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, Torres Rivera said the relationship between Havana and Washington is “going through one of the most, if not the most difficult times in the bilateral relation.”

She reiterated that Cuba’s “sovereignty, independence and right to self determination” remain the only issues excluded from negotiations with the United States.

“When they are enduring 20 hours of blackouts, they have grievances, and they express it,” Torres Rivera said of recent street protests in Cuba.

 However, she warned against interpreting demonstrations as a sign of weakening support for the government.

“The Cuban people won’t defend (themselves) from a US aggression, won’t defend our homeland from an invasion,” she said, cautioning Washington against taking a “wrong reading” of the unrest.

Torres Rivera also confirmed that Cuba has begun conducting drills in preparation for a possible military confrontation with the United States.

Her comments followed recent remarks by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who said the island “will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we’ll die.” Torres reiterated his comments saying, “We are preparing for this,” adding, “We cannot be naive.”

Miguel Diaz Canel, President of Cuba poses during a state visit to Mexico at Palacio Nacional on October 17, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

She emphasized that the preparations were defensive rather than offensive in nature.

“It’s not that we are preparing to be the first to do any action against the U.S. territory or against the US people. We don’t want that,” she said. “It could be a bloodbath. We don’t want Cubans dying in Cuba,” she added, nor “any American soldier.”

US urges reforms as Cuba crisis worsens

The Trump administration has intensified pressure on Havana while also publicly offering aid to address Cuba’s humanitarian crisis.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was prepared to provide $100 million in food, medicine and assistance, but only if it could be distributed through nongovernmental organizations rather than the Cuban government.

“There’s $100 million of food and medicine available for them right now,” Rubio said. “The only string attached is it has to be distributed by nongovernmental organizations.”

Torres Rivera said Havana had received few details regarding the proposal but indicated Cuba could accept assistance if it came without political conditions.

“Cuba has never refused to accept foreign aid, never when it’s done in good faith, when it’s done not for political manipulation,” she said.

The Trump administration has argued that Cuba’s communist system must undergo “fundamental changes.”

Rubio recently said Washington wants “a prosperous Cuba” but argued the country’s current political and economic model “is broken.”