Cuba conducts military exercises and confirms its readiness to confront any “aggression”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stressed Cuba’s readiness to confront any American “aggression” it might be exposed to, coinciding with the island conducting exercises on Saturday to confirm its military readiness.

US President Donald Trump warned in January that Havana was on the verge of “falling,” calling on the island’s authorities, subject to a US economic blockade, to conclude an agreement with Washington, or face a fate similar to Venezuela, where US forces arrested President Nicolas Maduro.

After the overthrow of Maduro’s rule, the US President pledged to cut off the oil supplies that Caracas was providing to its ally, Cuba.

On Saturday, Diaz-Canel supervised military exercises in which a tank company participated, in the presence of the Minister of the Armed Forces, General Alvaro Lopez Meira, and senior officers.

The Cuban president said in statements broadcast on television, “The best way to prevent aggression is for imperialism to be forced to take into account the cost of attacking our country.”

He believed that “this is largely related to our readiness for this type of military steps,” stressing that the exercises “are of great importance in the current circumstances.”

The National Defense Committee, led by Diaz-Canel, met earlier this month to assess its readiness for war, according to a statement reported by official media.

The meeting aimed to “raise the level of readiness and enhance the cohesion of the leadership bodies and their crews,” and “analyze and approve the plans and measures necessary to transition into a state of war,” in the event of a conflict with another country, without going into any details.