Cuba “forcefully” rejected this Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose a “full and complete” embargo on the island, called his security adviser John Bolton a “pathological liar” and denied Havana’s alleged interference in Venezuela.
“We forcefully reject the threat of full and complete blockade of #Trump against #Cuba,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on his Twitter account.
Díaz-Canel reiterated that “there are no military operations, nor Cuban troops in #Venezuela” and called on the international community “to stop the dangerous aggressive escalation and preserve #Peace. No more lies #SomosCuba.”
Rechazamos enérgicamente la amenaza de bloqueo total y completo de #Trump contra #Cuba. No hay operaciones militares, ni tropas cubanas en #Venezuela. Llamamos a la comunidad internacional a detener peligrosa escalada agresiva y preservar la #Paz. Basta ya de mentiras #SomosCuba pic.twitter.com/uN8hsgagfX
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) April 30, 2019
For his part, the island’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, said that the “U.S. Nat Sec Adviser # Bolton is a pathological liar who misinforms Pres Trump,” in a message via Twitter.
Rodriguez said that “there are no troops” from Cuba in Venezuela “nor do Cubans participate in military or security operations” and insisted that his country only maintains in Venezuela “medical personnel as a humanitarian mission.”
“I forcefully reject Trump’s threat of full blockade,” he said, in response to the announcement made a few hours earlier by the U.S. president.
Asesor d Seg Nac #EEUU Bolton es un mentiroso patológico q desinforma al Pdte Trump. No hay tropas #CUBA en #VENEZUELA ni cubanos participan en operaciones militares ni de seguridad. Sólo personal médico en misión humanitaria. Rechazo enérgicamente amenaza d bloqueo total d Trump
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) April 30, 2019
Trump threatened, also via Twitter, to intensify the embargo on Havana and impose “a full and complete embargo” and “the highest-level sanctions” if the Cuban military and intelligence forces ―which according to the U.S. are infiltrated in Venezuela― “do not immediately cease military and other operations” in the South American country.
He added that he hoped “all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island.”
….embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019
Bolton, meanwhile, tweeted that the U.S. condemns the direct role of Cuba in keeping the failed Maduro regime in power and promised to take measures to cut the mechanisms resorted to by the Cuban regime to continue in Venezuela and make it accountable for the destabilizing role it plays in this crisis.
The United States believes that the campaign against Maduro by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, recognized as interim president of Venezuela by more than 50 countries, has not triumphed so far due to the influence of some 25,000 Cubans who allegedly act within the country’s military and intelligence structure.
The United States condemns Cuba’s direct role in propping up the failed Maduro regime in Venezuela. We will continue to take actions to cut the Cuban regime’s lifelines in Venezuela and hold it accountable for the destabilizing role it plays in this man-made crisis.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) April 30, 2019
However, the Cuban government maintains that it does not deploy military and security forces in Venezuela and this month it already accused the United States of “lying blatantly” about this.
Trump’s adviser to a great extent blamed Cuba for the immediate failure of the military uprising led by Guaidó this Tuesday, according to his press release at the White House.
To all the patriotic citizens of Venezuela: pic.twitter.com/qlByCPk7Qj
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) April 30, 2019
He also defined the bloc of countries with socialist governments formed by Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua as the “troika of tyranny” and in recent months has increased pressure against Cuba for its support of Maduro.
Bolton announced this month that remittances to Cuba from the United States will be limited to “1,000 dollars per person per quarter” and the State Department confirmed that it is studying the elimination of some of the 12 categories that allow Americans to travel legally to the island.
Also, as of this Thursday, May 2, the United States will allow claims in U.S. courts against multinational companies that operate on land or buildings expropriated in Cuba after the 1959 Revolution, which further toughens the embargo and threatens to discourage foreign investment in Cuba.
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