Cuban Ambassador: Our people are ready to face potential US attacks

Washington (ANTARA) - A Cuban diplomat in Washington DC, United States, has said that the Cuban people will defend their homeland against potential military attacks from the US. “We are prepared to defend ourselves,” said Cuban Ambassador to the US Lianys Torres Rivera in an interview with The Hill, released on Friday.

“And regarding how we prepare, we are not doing it for offensive actions. We are not preparing to be the first to act against US territory or the US people. We will not do that,” she said.

Torres Rivera warned that an attack on Cuba “would be a bloodbath.” Cuba does not want its citizens, nor “a single US soldier”, to die in Cuba, she said.

The statement by the Cuban Ambassador comes amid severe oil shortages and prolonged energy crisis faced by Cuba due to the US embargo.

While stating that “sovereignty, independence, and the right to self-determination” for Cuba are non-negotiable, Torres Rivera affirmed that Havana is not a threat to the US.

“We are a small island nation that wants to be left alone to determine the future that the Cuban people want,” she said.

The energy crisis in Cuba has worsened after the US, in January, detained Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela which is a key energy supplier for Cuba. The US also threatened new tariffs on countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba.

Source: Anadolu

Translator: Nabil Ihsan