Cuban UN Ambassador Says Havana Is Ready To Defend Itself If Attacked By U.S.

Cuban UN Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán said Monday that Cuba is ready to defend itself if attacked by the United States, according to The Hill, sharpening Havana's public response after President Trump imposed new sanctions and repeatedly raised the possibility of taking action against the island. Guzmán's comments came as Cuban officials described the latest U.S. measures as an attack on Cuban sovereignty and linked them to a wider pressure campaign from Washington.

The Details

Guzmán made the comments during a Fox News interview on Monday, May 4, The Hill reported. Asked about threats from the Trump administration, he said Cuba would not accept surrender as an option. "If someone thinks that words like 'give up,' 'surrender' or 'collapse' are in the Cuban people's dictionary, that person — those people are sorely mistaken," Guzmán said, according to The Hill and Fox News. "In the Cuban dictionary, you will find words like 'resilience,' 'resistance,' 'defense of our sovereignty' and 'defense of our independence.'"

The interview followed a Friday, May 1, executive order from Trump placing additional sanctions on Cuban officials the United States designates as corrupt, along with officials in Cuba's energy, defense, financial or security sectors, according to The Hill and the White House. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the sanctions "illegal" and "abusive" in a Sunday statement cited by The Hill. Rodríguez said Cuba is "in the crosshairs, in the sights of U.S. imperialism."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also argued for political change in Havana, according to The Hill. In a March 2026 interview cited in the fact brief, Rubio said the U.S. embargo is "tied to political change on the island" and described Cuba's economy as "nonfunctional." He said, "Their economy doesn't work. It's a nonfunctional economy... They don't get subsidies anymore, so they're in a lot of trouble, and the people in charge, they don't know how to fix it, so they have to get new people in charge."

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a similar defense-focused message in an April 12 interview with NBC that was reported by Politico. Díaz-Canel said he had "no fear" of Trump and was "willing to give my life for the revolution." Politico reported that he said Cuba does not want war but would fight back if invaded.

Díaz-Canel repeated that posture days later at an April 16 rally, according to CBS News and the AP. "The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression," he said. "We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it."

The Cuban statements have unfolded after Trump repeatedly spoke of "taking" Cuba and suggested a "friendly takeover" was possible following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to Politico and CBS News. Politico also reported that Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, though he allowed a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba in March for "humanitarian reasons."

The Hill reported that the United States has enforced an energy blockade around Cuba since January 2026. According to The Hill and CBS News, the blockade has worsened power shortages, disrupted hospital services and created conditions that experts warned could lead to a humanitarian crisis. Guzmán said Mexico sent two aid ships to Cuba and that Havana would be willing to accept additional aid from the United States, The Hill reported. He said any diplomatic relations would need to be "based on reciprocity, equal footing, respect, sovereignty and independence, and no interference."

Context

The current dispute sits inside a long-running U.S. policy framework toward Cuba. The fact brief notes that the United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba since the 1960s, with enforcement varying by administration. In the current phase, The Hill reported that new sanctions are targeting Cuban officials and sectors Washington says are tied to corruption, energy, defense, finance or security.

CBS News and the AP reported that Cuba has faced a severe economic crisis for roughly five years, triggered by COVID-19 and tightened U.S. sanctions. The same reporting cited in the fact brief said the crisis has contributed to mass emigration of professionals. The Hill and CBS News reported that the energy blockade has added pressure through power shortages and disruptions to hospital services.

Cuban officials are framing the pressure as a sovereignty issue. Rodríguez said Cuba was being targeted by "U.S. imperialism," according to The Hill, while Guzmán used the Fox News interview to emphasize resistance and independence. Díaz-Canel's April 16 rally statement linked the current moment to April 16, 1961, which CBS News and the AP identified as the date Fidel Castro proclaimed the Cuban Revolution socialist during the Bay of Pigs crisis.

U.S. officials are framing the policy around political change. The Hill reported that Rubio said the embargo is "tied to political change on the island." Politico and CBS News reported that Trump's references to Cuba followed the U.S. capture of Maduro in January 2026, which Trump has cited as a precedent for possible action against Havana.

What's Next

The immediate next step is the continued implementation of Trump's May 1 executive order, which The Hill reported adds sanctions on designated Cuban officials and officials in energy, defense, financial or security sectors. Cuban officials have already rejected the order publicly, with Rodríguez calling the measures "illegal" and "abusive" and Guzmán saying Cuba is prepared to defend its sovereignty.

Humanitarian and energy access will remain central to the confrontation because the fact brief says the U.S. energy blockade has worsened shortages and disrupted hospital services. The Hill reported that Mexico sent two aid ships to Cuba, and Guzmán said Havana would accept additional U.S. aid if relations are based on reciprocity, equal footing, sovereignty, independence and no interference.

The diplomatic path remains defined by opposing conditions stated by the two governments. Rubio said U.S. policy is tied to political change in Cuba, according to The Hill. Guzmán said Cuba's terms for diplomatic relations require respect for sovereignty and independence, according to the same report.