United States President Donald Trump once again threatened a possible military incursion into Cuba. In an interview given to the broadcaster Fox Newsthe president stated that “many things will happen in Cuba in the next two months” and, when asked if these actions could have a military character, he replied: “We could do that with Cuba. Obviously, it wouldn’t be difficult for us.”
The New York tycoon’s statements come in a context of Washington’s growing hostility towards the island. Since the end of January, the United States government has maintained an intensified energy blockade, threatening to impose sanctions on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba, a measure designed to deepen the country’s energy strangulation.
At the same time, the US government has been systematically expanding the so-called “secondary sanctions”, aimed at non-US entities or companies that maintain commercial relations with the Cuban State. These measures led to the withdrawal of important companies linked to strategic sectors of the island’s economy, such as tourism and mineral exploration.
“I’m keeping an eye on Cuba. A lot of things are going to happen in Cuba in the next two months, but I don’t see it as Venezuela. Venezuela has enormous amounts of oil. We could do that with Cuba. Obviously, it wouldn’t be difficult for us,” Trump said during the interview, comparing the Cuban situation with the Venezuelan one.
Without hiding Washington’s interest in Venezuela’s natural riches, Trump declared that “Venezuela is much bigger than Cuba, but Venezuela is gold. In fact, it has gold. It has a lot of gold, a lot of oil. It has some of the most valuable land in the world, probably the most valuable in terms of gold, rubies… I mean: if you go through it, it’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen. They have more oil than almost any other country except us.”
“Beat the drums of war”
The US president’s statements come in a context of growing threats against Cuba. Last Wednesday (15), Pentagon officials leaked to the American broadcaster CBS News that the Department of Defense had begun to discreetly evaluate military options against the island. According to the information released, the plans include a possible air attack led by the 101st Airborne Division.
Havana was quick to respond and accused Washington of “beating the drums of war”. Through social media, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, questioned the content of the information released and stated: “The order signed by four authors does not even contain a question about what would be the excuse for committing such a crime. None of them seems to question what political, legal or moral authority supports the USA to cause death and destruction with a warlike adventure against the Cuban people.”
The complaint occurs in a context in which, since last January, the Pentagon has systematically leaked information to different media outlets about alleged military plans against Cuba, accompanied by recurring threats against the island.
“These journalists do not even question what would be a sufficient reason to lead to a scenario that could end in a bloodbath against a country that did not attack, did not threaten and did not cause the slightest damage to the largest nuclear power on the planet,” added Cossío.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
