Cuba readying to defend itself against possible US invasion, senior diplomat says

Cuba's top diplomat in Washington said Cubans would defend themselves against any potential US military action.

"We are preparing to defend ourselves," Amb. Lianys Torres Rivera told The Hill news website in an interview published Friday.

"And in the way that we are preparing, it's not in an offensive way. It's not that we are preparing to be the first to do any action against the US territory or against the US people. We don't want that," she said.

Torres Rivera warned that any invasion "could be a bloodbath," saying Cuba does not want "Cubans dying in Cuba" nor "any American soldier."

Her remarks came as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages and prolonged blackouts amid a US blockade.

Torres Rivera reiterated that Cuba's "sovereignty, independence and right to self-determination" were non-negotiable, while insisting Havana does not pose a threat to the US.

"We are a small island that wants only to be left alone to decide our future in the way that Cubans want," she said.

The energy crisis in Cuba deepened after the US removed Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, a key supplier, in January and threatened tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.