Khaberni - Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, confirmed that his country is making preparations in anticipation of a possible American attack.
De Cossio told the American network NBC today, Sunday: "Our army is always on alert. In fact, these days it is preparing for the possibility of any military aggression, but we truly hope that this will not happen."
Fernandez de Cossio added, "Cuba has no dispute with the United States. We have the right to protect ourselves, but we are ready to sit down at the negotiation table."
Restoring Electricity
The interview was broadcast at a time when the Cuban authorities were struggling today to restore electricity to the island after the country's second nationwide blackout in less than a week, as the electricity network suffers from infrastructure deterioration and a U.S. oil embargo.
According to a report issued by the government electrical union and the Ministry of Energy and Mines, electricity was restored to about 72,000 subscribers in the capital, including 5 hospitals, by dawn today, but this number represents only a small part of the total population of the capital Havana, which is about two million people.
The American Embargo
Cuba is currently facing an unprecedented energy crisis, and the country's deteriorated electric grid has significantly worsened in recent years, but the government has also blamed the American energy embargo imposed on the country.
Power outages have intensified since the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, the socialist Venezuelan leader and Cuba's main regional ally and primary oil supplier, in an American military operation last January.
In an interview recorded before the blackout, Fernandez de Cossio said, "We are taking the utmost proactive measures to deal with the situation."
He added, "We hope that fuel will reach Cuba one way or another, that this United States-imposed embargo will not last forever, and cannot continue indefinitely."
Electricity returned to parts of Havana, while other areas continued to suffer from power outages until this morning after the Ministry of Energy announced a "complete outage" of the national electricity grid, which serves about 10 million people.
The country has experienced 7 electricity outages since 2024, which has worsened life for Cubans who fear food spoilage in refrigerators, among other problems in a country suffering from an economic crisis.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that the island had not received oil from foreign suppliers for 3 months. Cuba produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs to operate its economy.
Trump threatens and aims to take over
It should be noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
Trump, over the months, has suggested that the Cuban government is on the verge of collapse. After the collapse of Cuba's power grid previously, Trump told reporters that he believes he will soon "have the honor of taking over Cuba."
No oil has been imported into the island since January 9, last month, negatively impacting the energy sector and forcing airlines to reduce their flights to the island, which has dealt a strong blow to the vital tourism sector.
