Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel rejects resignation amid US tensions

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated in his first interview with an American television network, NBC News, that he will not resign due to pressure from the United States. He emphasized Cuba's status as a free, independent state with the right to self-determination. Diaz-Canel rejected US demands, characterizing Washington's policy toward Havana as hostile and lacking moral authority, while calling for continued dialogue. Tensions between the two nations have escalated following the detention of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces in Caracas in January. The US government has subsequently blocked Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba and threatened additional punitive tariffs against any nation supplying oil to the island. These measures have exacerbated an existing energy crisis within Cuba. The official visit of a Russian deputy foreign minister to Havana has coincided with these diplomatic developments.