Cuba: 'Naive' to ignore threat of US military intervention

Mexican Navy ARM Papaloapan prepares to assist a boat that is part of a convoy carrying 30 tons of humanitarian aid bound for Cuba, organized by left-wing activists from several countries in the Americas and Europe, in the Caribbean Sea, Saturday. AFP-Yonhap

Havana/Washington — Cuba's military is taking precautions against a potential U.S. intervention, a senior Cuban official has said, amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

"Our military is always prepared, and in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression," Cuba's deputy foreign minister, Carlos Fernández, told broadcaster NBC on Sunday.

He added that it would be "naive" for Cuban leaders to ignore the possibility of conflict with the U.S. "But we truly hope that it doesn't occur."

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently hinted at a possible "takeover" of the socialist-run island.

Responding to what he thought about that comment, Fernández said: "Truly we don't know what they are talking about, but I can tell you this: Cuba is a sovereign country."

Cuba would not accept becoming "a vassal state or a dependent state," he added.

Relations between Havana and Washington have been strained since the 1959 revolution led by the left-wing revolutionary Fidel Castro. The situation has further deteriorated during Trump's second term.

A U.S. oil embargo has deepened Cuba's economic and humanitarian crisis, which has also been driven by years of mismanagement and corruption. The country suffered its second nationwide power outage in a week on Saturday.

Despite the tensions, Washington and Havana are engaged in undisclosed talks.

Fernández declined to reveal during the NBC interview when and where the two sides last met.

The minister stressed that the nature of the Cuban government, its structure and its members are not subject to negotiation. The Communist Party remains the only legal political party on the island.