Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said his country is preparing for a possible confrontation with the United States, declaring he is willing to die resisting Donald Trump as tensions escalate between the two nations, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
In a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Díaz-Canel warned against any U.S. military action targeting the island nation, stating there would be consequences if such a move were made.
“I don’t think there would be any justification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba, or for the US to undertake a surgical operation or the kidnapping of a president,” Díaz-Canel said, according to a translated transcript.
Cuba’s president vowed that he and other leaders in the country are willing to “give our lives for the revolution” if the U.S. tries to take control of the island or arrest him. https://t.co/jPVrnmhNqg [2] pic.twitter.com/zQv30USfiv [3]
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 13, 2026 [4]
“If that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we’ll die, because as our national anthem says, ‘dying for the homeland is to live.’”
The remarks come as Cuba faces a deepening crisis tied to U.S. actions in the region.
Since December, the United States has imposed a blockade around Venezuela as part of its Operation Southern Spear effort, cutting off oil supplies to Cuba and worsening an already strained energy situation.
The loss of Venezuelan oil has contributed to widespread blackouts and growing concerns over food shortages across the island.
Reports indicate that Cuba’s economic challenges existed before the blockade but have intensified since the restrictions on crude exports were implemented.
The Trump administration has also privately signaled that Díaz-Canel should step down, according to reports cited by The New York Times. The Cuban leader, however, has rejected those signals and made clear he intends to remain in power.
“I have no fear. I am willing to give my life for the revolution,” Díaz-Canel said. “I wouldn’t like that to be the attitude of the US government.”
Cuban Communist leader Miguel Díaz-Canel really said the quiet part out loud:
“If we have to die, we’ll die”… just to keep the regime alive.
Read that again.
pic.twitter.com/iyWhjhImDp [5]— American Nightmare (@thewakeninq) April 12, 2026 [6]
Díaz-Canel, who became the first Cuban leader outside the Castro family following the Cuban Revolution, has maintained a hard stance against outside pressure.
He has denied that the country’s worsening economic conditions are the result of government mismanagement, instead attributing them to the ongoing U.S. blockade.
“We have the accumulated effects of the blockades, plus the effect of the tightening of the blockade, and now the effects are caused by this energy blockade. And I can say this responsibly to you, this is not the fault of the Cuban government,” he said.
“We conduct very self-critical analysis and assessments of our reality, and we’re trying to constantly transform and change what we do in order to improve what we do.”
The Cuban president also described the possibility of reaching an agreement with the United States as “very difficult,” pointing to recent U.S. military actions abroad as a reason for distrust.
He referenced strikes against Iran during negotiations over its nuclear program as an example.
At the same time, the United States has outlined conditions for any improved relationship, including demands that Cuba release political prisoners, allow multi-party elections, and permit a free press.
Díaz-Canel said his government has not received those demands and emphasized that structural changes to Cuba’s political system are not up for discussion.
The escalating tensions come as Cuba continues to experience unrest tied to ongoing shortages.
The country has seen protests and riots fueled by power outages and limited access to food. In response, the Cuban government has carried out a crackdown on dissent, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Díaz-Canel has insisted that any reforms within Cuba will remain under the control of his government, reiterating that the nation’s political structure is not negotiable.