Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced that the country is on full alert for a potential United States military attack, following months of sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump on the island nation.
Addressing thousands at a mass rally in Havana marking the 65th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba does not seek confrontation but must remain prepared to avoid it. He added that if conflict becomes unavoidable, the country must be ready to prevail.
Escalating Pressure from Washington
Cuba’s heightened readiness follows repeated warnings from Trump, who reportedly described the island as a potential next target after the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the escalation of conflict with Iran.
According to US media reports, Washington and Havana have engaged in talks aimed at easing tensions, but these efforts have so far yielded no meaningful progress.
Mariela Castro, daughter of former president Raúl Castro, stated that Cubans are open to dialogue with the United States, but without placing their political system up for negotiation. She added that her 94-year-old father, who played a role in the historic rapprochement with the US in 2015 under President Barack Obama, has been indirectly involved in the current discussions.
The talks have also reportedly included Raúl Castro’s grandson, Colonel Raúl Rodríguez Castro.
Historical Context Shapes Current Posture
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the current situation is “extremely dangerous” while reaffirming Cuba’s socialist identity, originally declared by Fidel Castro on 16 April 1961.
The Bay of Pigs invasion, commemorated during the rally, took place in 1961, two years after Castro-led revolutionaries took control of the island and began nationalising US-owned assets and companies.
Between 15 and 19 April of that year, approximately 1,400 Cuban exiles opposed to Castro, trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency, launched an amphibious landing at the Bay of Pigs, around 250 kilometres south of Havana. Cuban forces repelled the invasion, inflicting a decisive defeat.
Renewed Economic and Military Pressure
More than six decades later, Cuba once again finds itself under direct pressure from Washington. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island, exacerbating its already fragile economic conditions.
Díaz-Canel rejected US characterisations of Cuba as a “failed state”, asserting instead that the country is under siege. “Cuba is not a failed state, it is a blockaded state,” he stated.
Public Sentiment Reflects Defiance
At the rally, 82-year-old attendee Maria Reguero expressed a sentiment echoed by many participants, stating that Cubans remain prepared to defend their sovereignty at any cost, just as they did during the events of 1961.
The developments underscore rising geopolitical tension, with Cuba positioning itself defensively amid uncertainty surrounding US intentions and the broader regional landscape.
