Cuba Says "We Are Not a Failed State" and Warns US of Possible Military Response

[Financial News] President Miguel Díaz-Canel of the Republic of Cuba directly challenged pressure from the United States of America (US), even raising the possibility of a military response. As an energy blockade deepens the economic crisis, tensions between the US and the Republic of Cuba are showing signs of escalating into a military confrontation.
Speaking on the 16th (local time) at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the proclamation declaring the Cuban Revolution socialist in Havana, President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared, "Cuba is not a failed state, but a country under siege by an economic war waged by the United States," adding, "If there is a military invasion, we will respond forcefully."
He continued, "We do not want war, but it is our duty to prepare in order to prevent it," stressing, "If it cannot be avoided, we will repel it."
His remarks came after President Donald Trump of the US recently hinted at possible military involvement by saying, "When the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran is over, I might stop by Cuba for a while." President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to Cuba as a "failed state," steadily ratcheting up the pressure.
In practice, US sanctions have been tightened across the board. Following the ouster of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro Moros, the US has reinforced a maritime blockade on the Republic of Cuba, cutting off its oil imports. It has also announced, through executive orders, that it will impose punitive tariffs on countries that export oil to Cuba.
As a result, the Cuban economy has deteriorated rapidly. Over the past three months, aside from a single shipment from a Russian oil tanker, most fuel imports have been blocked, triggering nationwide power shortages, economic hardship and a medical crisis all at once.
President Díaz-Canel described this as a "multidimensional aggression," reiterating, "Cuba is not a failed state, but a country under siege by an energy blockade and economic pressure imposed by the United States."

km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter