Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that the Havana regime has the "capacity and willingness to hold dialogue with the United States government", although he made any negotiation instance conditional on it taking place "without pressure" and under supposed conditions of equality and respect.
The statements were made during a speech broadcast by state television, in a context of growing economic suffocation for the island, worsened by the cutoff of oil supplies from Venezuela, a historic supporter of the Cuban regime and now out of the game after the capture of narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro by United States forces.
"We have said that we have the capacity and willingness to hold dialogue with the United States government", Díaz-Canel maintained, in a message aimed both at the domestic front and at the international community, while the country is going through an unprecedented energy and social crisis.
The Cuban regime seeks to negotiate from a position of weakness
During his address, Díaz-Canel insisted that any dialogue must exclude external pressure. "Dialogue can't take place under pressure", he stated, and he added that it must occur "under conditions of equality and respect."
However, the speech itself laid bare the regime's fragility. "We are going to denounce all of that. And without fear," said the dictator, before admitting that Cuba will have to emerge from the crisis "by ourselves," a phrase that contrasts with decades of dependence on Venezuelan subsidies.
The message comes at a critical moment for Castroism, with constant blackouts, fuel shortages, and an accelerated deterioration of the social situation.
Trump confirms negotiations and anticipates an agreement
Hours before Díaz-Canel's speech, United States President Donald Trump confirmed that his administration had begun talks with the highest ranks of the Cuban regime and expressed confidence in reaching an agreement.
