Overview
- Cuba’s president, in an NBC interview Sunday, said he is willing to die for the revolution and warned that any U.S. attack would carry very high costs for the island and the region.
- He rejected U.S. demands to free what Washington calls political prisoners or to allow multiparty elections, unions, or a free press, and he disputed that detainees like rapper Maykel Osorbo are jailed for their views.
- He said dialogue with Washington is possible yet difficult, as the White House says talks are occurring, even as President Trump speaks of “taking” Cuba and a deal he argues would be easy.
- He blamed the U.S. embargo and tighter enforcement since January for a fuel squeeze that cut Venezuelan oil, forced blackouts, and strained hospitals and transit, with a Russian tanker’s March shipment offering short-term relief.
- He invited foreign investment in Cuban oil exploration and noted U.S. firms could join only if the Treasury’s OFAC issues licenses, underscoring how sanctions control any near-term energy fix.