Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded to US President Donald Trump's call to make a deal with the US by stating that no one will dictate to Cuba what to do because it is a "free country."
Points of attention
- Cuba defends its sovereignty and independence in rejecting Trump's ultimatum for a deal with the US.
- The Cuban government emphasizes its right to freely choose trade and energy partners without compromising its own sovereignty.
Cuba refuses to sign oil deal with US
Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign country. Nobody dictates to us what to do, the head of the Latin American state said in response to Trump's threat that his country should make a deal with Washington "before it's too late."
He added that "those who turn everything into a business, even human lives, have no right to point anything at Cuba."
The Cuban Foreign Ministry emphasized that "like any other country, Cuba has the absolute right to import fuel from those markets that are willing to export it and that exercise their right to develop commercial relations without interference or subordination."
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stressed that "Cuba does not receive and has never received monetary or material compensation for security services provided to any country."
He added that "unlike the United States, we do not have a government that engages in mercenary activities, blackmail, or military pressure on other states."
It is noted that Caracas remains Havana's main supplier of oil. Last year, the volume of oil received from Venezuela covered about 50% of Cuba's needs for this raw material.
