Cuba said on Friday that its political system and the tenure of President Miguel Díaz-Canel are not negotiable in talks with the United States, rejecting media reports that Washington sought his removal. “I can categorically confirm that … the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation, and of course neither the president nor the position of any official in Cuba is subject to negotiation with the United States,” Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío told reporters.
Havana has acknowledged opening talks with the U.S. government amid mounting economic pressure after an oil restriction imposed by President Donald Trump, which Cuban officials say has deepened the island’s crisis. The diplomatic contacts follow public comments by Trump, who said he could do “anything I want” with Cuba.
Speaking later to foreign activists delivering humanitarian aid, Díaz-Canel warned Cuba was preparing for potential U.S. “aggression.” “We’re not just crossing our arms. In the first place, we recognize that there could be aggression against Cuba,” he said, adding on social media that “any external aggressor will face an impenetrable resistance.”
U.S. media reports cited unnamed sources saying the Trump administration was considering an economic package that would lift some trade restrictions but include an “off-ramp” for Díaz-Canel. USA Today, citing two sources, reported a plan to remove him from power; the New York Times, citing four people familiar with the talks, said the administration sought to push Díaz-Canel from office with two years left on his presidential term and five years remaining as Communist Party leader. Both reports said the proposal would spare the family of former presidents Fidel and Raúl Castro. Fidel Castro died in 2016; Raúl Castro, 94, remains influential since transferring the presidency to Díaz-Canel in 2018.
Some reports compared such an arrangement to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela, where American intervention has involved working with an acting government figure following moves against Nicolás Maduro.
Cuban leadership today is more distributed than under the early Castro era, with authority shared among senior Communist Party officials, government leaders and the armed forces, rather than concentrated in a single leader. De Cossio declined to provide details on the bilateral discussions, including their timing or location.
He said the two countries have many mutual concerns that can be addressed in talks, including trade, which has been curtailed by the longstanding U.S. economic embargo, and reciprocal compensation claims. Cuba has long-standing claims for damages it attributes to the embargo, while there are 5,913 claims from U.S. citizens for properties nationalized in Cuba after the 1959 revolution. “These are very complex issues that can be discussed, but they require dialogue,” de Cossio said. “They require sitting down and are legitimate matters.”
