Cuba on Friday firmly rejected any suggestion that its political system or the president’s term could be negotiated with the United States, responding to reports that Washington wanted to remove President Miguel Diaz-Canel from power.
“I can categorically confirm that the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation and neither the president nor any official position in Cuba is subject to discussion with the United States,” Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said at a press conference.
The island announced last week that it had entered talks with Washington as an oil blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump has deepened the nation’s economic crisis. Trump has also asserted that he can do “anything I want” with Cuba, a sovereign neighbor.
Speaking to a group of foreign activists delivering humanitarian aid, Diaz-Canel said Cuba was preparing for potential U.S. “aggression.”
“We are not just crossing our arms. In the first place, we recognize that there could be aggression against Cuba,” Diaz-Canel, who has struck a more defiant tone recently, said.
