The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has emphasized that the training of the population in defensive matters "continues to be an activity of enormous priority" for the country's authorities, a matter that he has directly linked to Havana's response to the wave of sanctions and the energy blockade imposed by the United States.
The Cuban leader made these statements during the National Defense Day, after supervising maneuvers and exercises of the Zone Defense Council (CDZ) of Casablanca, in the municipality of Regla, on the outskirts of Havana.
Díaz-Canel again lashed out against the package of sanctions imposed by Washington against the island, stating that they constitute a "persecution" of the "economic, financial entity and everything that is being implemented in the country" to face the current scenario.
In this regard, he denounced that this strategy aligns with the hostile positions of President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who in recent months have referred to the possibility of taking Cuba and closing all economic escape routes.
The White House has intensified punitive measures against Cuba in recent times, extending them to companies and individuals that it accuses of bolstering Havana's control over key sectors and trying to evade U.S. sanctions. Among the main targets are entities responsible for foreign trade operations, both import and export, in an attempt to economically suffocate the island.