Cuba has rejected suggestions that the future of its political system or President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s term was discussed in talks with the United States, after reports Washington wanted him removed from power.
"I can categorically confirm that ... the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation, and of course neither the president nor the position of any official in Cuba is subject to negotiation with the United States," Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told a press conference.
Last week, Cuba announced it had begun talks with the U.S. government amid what it described as an effective oil blockade imposed by President Donald Trump. The move followed Trump’s claim that he could do "anything I want" with Cuba, despite calling it a sovereign neighbour.
Speaking later to a group of foreign activists bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba, Díaz-Canel said Cuba was preparing for a possible U.S. "aggression."
"We're not just crossing our arms. In the first place, we recognise that there could be aggression against Cuba," said Díaz-Canel, who has struck a more defiant tone recently.
He said on social media on Tuesday that "any external aggressor will face an impenetrable resistance."
The New York Times, citing four people familiar with the talks, later reported that the Trump administration was seeking to push Díaz-Canel from power with two years remaining on his term as president and five years left as leader of the Communist Party.
The report said the U.S. proposal would leave untouched the family of former presidents Fidel and Raul Castro. Fidel Castro died in 2016 but Raul Castro, now 94, remains highly influential eight years after handing the presidency over to Diaz-Canel, 65.
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The U.S. has arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the head of GAESA, a military-run business group which owns Cuba’s most profitable enterprises, including the island’s five-star hotels, and its largest port.
Russia pledged support for Cuba on Thursday after the U.S. indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro on murder charges linked to the 1996 downing of exile planes, escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.
The Trump administration plans to announce criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro next Wednesday, according to a U.S. Justice Department official, in a move that would escalate the pressure campaign against the island's communist government.
Widespread protests erupted across Havana on Wednesday evening as Cuba faced its worst rolling blackouts in decades after the government announced it had run out of diesel and fuel oil amid a tightening U.S. blockade.
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As the 13th edition of the World Urban Forum ended, Azerbaijan's Pavilion showcased reconstruction efforts in its liberated territories and foregrounded the importance of mine removal in resettlement efforts.
NATO fighter jets were activated on Thursday (21 May) after at least one drone entered Latvian airspace, according to Latvia’s armed forces, marking the latest in a series of security incidents across the Baltic region linked to the war in Ukraine.
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