In an interview with ‘The Hill’, Havana’s ambassador to Washington insists that the “political system and internal order” are not on the negotiating table.
EFE/14ymedio, International Desk, May 16, 2026 / US President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is confident that the Cuban government will eventually side with Washington at a time when it has intensified its US pressure campaign on the island.
When asked by journalist Bret Baier in an interview with Fox News whether Cuba would side with the US and not with China, Trump replied: “I think we’re going to turn it around.”
The president praised the role of Secretary of State Marco Rubio when asked about his administration’s actions regarding Cuba.
In addition, Trump expressed confidence in limiting the influence of his global rivals over Havana when questioned about his stance on the visit of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, which took place this Thursday .
According to a CIA statement, Ratcliffe traveled to the Cuban capital to hold direct talks with officials from the Ministry of the Interior and those responsible for the island’s intelligence services.
During the meeting, issues related to intelligence cooperation, regional security, and Cuba’s economic situation were discussed, against a backdrop of persistent tensions between Washington and Havana. The visit included meetings with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro—grandson of former president Raúl Castro and a security advisor—as well as with Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas.
In addition, reports this week have surfaced that the US justice system may file a criminal case against former President Raúl Castro for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996.
You are not going to put your political system or your internal order on the table, as the people of our country decide in a sovereign manner.
This Friday, Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s ambassador to the US, stated in an interview with The Hill that Havana is maintaining its “red lines” amid stalled negotiations that, she said, “have not progressed,” and in the face of President Trump’s looming threat to invade the nation.
Torres Rivera stated that the country maintains a policy of “discretion” regarding the ongoing negotiations and declined to comment on the topics being discussed. However, she reiterated that Cuba’s independence is not subject to negotiation.
“A serious country that respects itself,” Torres Rivera said, “would not negotiate its sovereignty with another country. You’re not going to put your political system or your internal order on the table, which the people of our country decide in a sovereign manner,” she affirmed. “Those are the red lines.”
Although Torres Rivera acknowledged that the protests over the blackouts are understandable, she warned against a “misinterpretation” of them as a sign of a weakening of Cuban resolve.
“When they endure 20 hours of blackout, they have reasons to complain and they express it,” she said, but added that the US should not interpret that as meaning that “the Cuban people will not defend themselves against US aggression, will not defend our homeland against an invasion.”
We see no need for war or any US military action against Cuba, simply because we are not a threat to the US in any way.
The diplomat asserted that the Cuban government is preparing for a possible military escalation, but insisted that these measures are “defensive” and not offensive. “We don’t want Cubans dying in Cuba,” she declared, and recalled Bruno Rodríguez’s words, reiterating that an intervention could turn into “a bloodbath” on the island.
“We see no need for a war or any US military action against Cuba, simply because we are not a threat to the US in any way,” she stated.
When questioned about the $ 100 million in aid announced by Washington, which would be distributed through non-governmental organizations and the Catholic Church, Torres Rivera stated that the Cuban government is still unaware of the specific details of the proposal, although she asserted that Cuba has never rejected foreign aid “when it is done in good faith and does not constitute political manipulation.”
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