Havana has a way of making big statements feel close—on Thursday, even the hum of the city seemed to sit under President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s words as he argued Cuba would never yield to U.S. pressure.
In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in Havana, Díaz-Canel said there is no “justification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba.” Through a translator, he framed any invasion as a risk that would spill beyond the island—“It would affect the security of Cuba, the United States and of the region,” he said. Then he sharpened the message into something more personal and blunt: “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.”
The president tied that position to Cuba’s national anthem—“Dying for the homeland is to live”—and also stressed that Cuba’s preferred path would be dialogue rather than confrontation. “Before making that decision, which is so irrational, there is a logic,” he said, describing the “logic of dialogue” as a way to debate and reach agreements that could move both sides away from escalation. He didn’t quite soften the tone when Welker asked if Cuba would respond to what she described as “key demands” from the U.S., including releasing political prisoners, scheduling multiparty elections, and recognizing unions and a free press.
Díaz-Canel answered quickly, then with a kind of stubborn clarification: “Nobody has made those demands to us,” he said, adding that these issues “are issues that are not under negotiations with the United States.” He called them “extensively manipulated,” a phrase that returned when Welker pressed him again—this time on political prisoners, with particular focus on Cuban rapper Maykel Osorbo. Osorbo has been in prison since 2021 for writing a protest song after thousands of Cubans took to the streets during the Covid pandemic, amid complaints about conditions and shortages.
On Osorbo, Díaz-Canel did not commit to release. He rejected the characterization that people are jailed simply for speaking against the revolution. “This narrative that has been created… anyone who speaks against a revolution is thrown into jail, that’s a big lie, that’s a slander,” he said, describing it as part of a “construct” meant to vilify the Cuban Revolution. He also said there are people in Cuba who are not in favor of the revolution “and manifest themselves on a daily basis” who are not in prison. International human rights organizations like PEN International and Amnesty International have called for Osorbo’s release.
The interview also tracked how the atmosphere between Washington and Havana has stiffened. Misryoum newsroom reported that around mid-March, Cuban officials took a sharp turn in their tone toward the U.S., saying they are prepared to confront any attacks, and the government ordered an increase in military exercises that often air during national newscasts. Díaz-Canel insisted Cuba’s stance is “entirely defensive and not aggressive,” and he repeated something like a refrain when asked about whether war is wanted: “Again, let me repeat. This is not what we want. We don’t want war. We don’t want an attack.”
When Welker asked whether it would be possible to “get a deal with President Trump,” Díaz-Canel said dialogue and deals are possible but “they’re difficult,” and he said he has not spoken to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and doesn’t know him. The Trump administration’s posture has been uneven, he suggested, pointing to the U.S. economic embargo and Cuba’s proximity to the American mainland. He said the embargo is “genocidal and cruel,” and argued that even during the Covid pandemic it blocked access to certain components—while he touted Cuba’s ability to manufacture a Covid vaccine and other equipment. Díaz-Canel blamed the embargo when discussing Cuba’s existing conditions, including its electricity crisis, supply shortages, and poverty.
For all the hard talk, he left room for business. With Cuba producing less than 40% of the fuel it needs and relying on imports to operate its “crumbling electric grid,” Díaz-Canel said Cuba was open to doing business with U.S. companies, specifically in oil exploration and drilling. He said “We’re open for foreign investment in Cuba in oil exploration and drilling,” and framed it as “an opportunity for American businessmen and firms.” It is
against U.S. law for Americans to invest in Cuba’s oil sector, but the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control can issue a license allowing an American company to do so. Díaz-Canel also cited collaborations like medical research and combating drug trafficking as he said there is a need to engage in dialogue—though he alluded to the Middle East and the Trump administration’s previous calls for dialogue, warning that negotiations can coexist with attacks, creating
“a lot of distrust.” He didn’t say much about how that distrust gets repaired, not really. And as the translator finished, the sentence kind of just… stopped.
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