Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel emphasized the country's readiness to face any US 'aggression,' as the island's military conducted exercises on Saturday to confirm its readiness. US President Donald Trump warned in January that Havana was 'on the verge of falling,' calling on the island's authorities, under US economic embargo, to strike a deal with Washington or face a fate similar to Venezuela's, where US forces arrested President Nicolas Maduro. After ousting Maduro, the US president pledged to cut oil supplies that Caracas had been providing to its ally Cuba. On Saturday, Diaz-Canel oversaw military exercises involving a tank platoon, attended by Minister of the Armed Forces General Alvaro Lopez Miera and senior officers. The Cuban president stated in a televised address: 'The best way to prevent aggression is to force imperialism to take into account the cost of attacking our country.' He noted that this 'is largely linked to our readiness for such military measures,' stressing that the exercises 'are of great importance under the current circumstances.' Earlier this month, the National Defense Committee, led by Diaz-Canel, met to assess its readiness for war, according to official media. The meeting aimed to 'raise the level of readiness and strengthen the cohesion of leadership bodies and their staff,' and 'analyze and approve the plans and measures necessary to transition to a state of war' in case of conflict with another country, without providing further details.
