Havana (Cuba), 16 January (LaPresse/AP) – ‘The current US administration has opened the door to an era of barbarism, plunder and neo-fascism’ and ‘the current emperor of the White House and his infamous Secretary of State continue to threaten me’ but ‘no one here is giving up’. This was stated by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, speaking at a massive demonstration organised by the government in Havana, where tens of thousands of people took to the streets near the US embassy to protest against the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela in the US raid on 3 January, in which Nicolas Maduro was deposed and arrested, and to demand Maduro's release. The demonstration comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that Cuba should reach an agreement with the United States ‘before it's too late,’ warning that the island will no longer receive oil or money from Venezuela. However, Trump did not specify what kind of agreement he was referring to. ‘Cuba must not make any political concessions, and this will never be the subject of negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement between Cuba and the United States,’ Díaz-Canel said. ‘It is important that they understand this. We will always be open to dialogue and improving relations between our two countries, but only on an equal footing and on the basis of mutual respect,’ he concluded.
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