March 24, 2026

On March 13, 2026, as the Cuban people continued to resist Washington’s siege of their country, Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez met with reporters in Havana. His press conference was a follow-up to one a month earlier where he had outlined the extreme adversity caused by the U.S. blockade of oil deliveries to the island and measures underway to mitigate and overcome those hardships.

With characteristic frankness and transparency, Díaz-Canel responded to Trump’s threats and to journalists’ questions about the everyday challenges the Cuban people are diligently working to overcome.

During the press conference — which was moderated by well-known Cuban journalist Arleen Rodríguez — he assured the participating journalists, and the Cuban people, that he and other government officials would continue to hold regular sessions with the media to update the population on both progress being made and new challenges.

He also made crystal clear that Cuba is a sovereign nation, and its people are fully prepared to defend their revolution arms in hand, if necessary.