By Claudia Dupeirón
Havana (EFE).- The Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged on Thursday that daily life in Cuba is difficult due to shortages of essential items and attributed absolute blame for the situation to United States sanctions, amid heightened bilateral tensions.
During his speech at the 65th anniversary ceremony commemorating the declaration of the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution, Díaz-Canel addressed the «suffering of the people.»
He attended the ceremony dressed in a military uniform, like most of the other high-ranking officials in the front row.
«Cuban daily life hurts. From the interrupted rest during blackouts to the return of electricity hours later, which moves domestic work to the early morning,» the president stated.
Esteban Lazo, the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power; José Ramón Machado Ventura, a commander of the Cuban Revolution, former second secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), and formally retired; and others also attended in military uniform.
At the gathering, Díaz-Canel underlined that the island is experiencing a «paralysis» of transportation, industries, vital services, and production because «there is an absolute lack of fuel for almost everything.»
The island has suffered a severe energy crisis since 2024 due to frequent breakdowns of its obsolete thermoelectric plants and the state’s lack of foreign currency to import fuel, a situation that has worsened since January due to the US oil embargo.
Díaz-Canel noted that the blockade imposed by Washington was evident in the «lack of even the most essential things for life.» At the same time, he briefly mentioned «errors» in the «process of social construction with peculiar and very Cuban characteristics.»
War and peace
In his speech, Díaz-Canel claimed that a US military attack on Cuba is a real possibility, which is why Cubans must be prepared. He also expressed his belief in dialogue and the power of peace.
«We do not want war, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if necessary, to win,» he said.
In this regard, he stated that Cuba is «a threatened state that does not surrender, that resists and creates,» in response to those who speak of Cuba as a «failed state.» «Cuba is a state, do not doubt it, that will conquer,» Díaz-Canel added.
The president denounced the «multidimensional aggression» of the US against Cuba, recalling the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles (with US backing) in 1961, which marks its 65th anniversary on Friday.
The Cuban president’s words came almost simultaneously with the release of a poll in The Miami Herald, in which 79% of the Cuban community in South Florida said they support a US military intervention in Cuba.
The poll also suggested that 36% of participants would support an operation to overthrow the Cuban government, and 38% would favor an intervention combining regime change with a response to the humanitarian emergency.
USA Today reported that the Pentagon is intensifying its plans for a military intervention in Cuba and awaiting direct orders from US President Donald Trump to act.
The Department of Defense responded to EFE that it would not speculate on «hypothetical scenarios» and that the armed forces foresee various contingencies and «remain prepared to execute the president’s orders.»EFE
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