Cuban Ambassador to the U.N. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán told Fox News on Monday that his fellow citizens are “ready to defend” the island’s independence if President Donald Trump attacks as he insisted that the government in Havana is “ready to talk” to the administration.

The remarks came after Trump signed an executive order on Friday that targeted officials across Cuba’s energy, defense, financial and security sectors. The move coincides with an ongoing blockade of oil shipments to the island, which has contributed to widespread blackouts and fuel shortages as the president increases pressure on the country’s communist leadership.

Guzmán sat down with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer on America’s Newsroom Monday morning to say that it was “very clear” that a blockade “exists” as the anchor outlined how gas had risen to $40 per gallon in Cuba.

“They are tightening the noose is maybe where you were going with that, not to put words in your mouth, but the strangle hold is working,” Hemmer said, before asking whether Havana should now signal to Trump it is ready to “talk more.”

“Well, Cuba has been saying for many years that we are ready to talk with the U.S. government and we are ready to have a different kind of relation with the U.S. government, beneficial for both parties, not only for Cuba but also for the U.S. companies, also for the U.S. citizens,” the ambassador replied.

He continued to argue that this relationship existed in the past and that for many years Cuba had been a destination for cruise ships from Florida and a source of bilateral trade, before adding: “The only requirement that we said is that those relations, those negotiations are supposed to be based on reciprocity, based on equal footing, based on respect, sovereignty and independence, and based on no interference in the internal relations.”

“Are you saying you’re open to more talks?” the anchor pressed.

“We are open, this is a historical position of the Cuban government,” he replied.

Hemmer then ran back a clip of the president speaking to voters at an event in Florida on Friday where he said the U.S. would “take over” and predicted that Cuba would simply “give up” as soon as the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln stopped up “stop about 100 yards offshore.”

Guzmán reacted: “If someone thinks that words like ‘give up’, ‘surrender’ or ‘collapse’ are in the Cuban people’s dictionary, that person – those people are sorely mistaken. In the Cuban dictionary you will find words like resilience, resistance and defense of our sovereignty and defense of our independence.”

Asked by the anchor whether he would “accept” aid from the U.S. navy, should it arrive, the ambassador reiterated: “You know that we had a parade last Friday first as part of our celebration of the labor date and there were 500,000 people in Havana, more than 5 million people all around the country, saying that we are ready to talk with the U.S. but ready to defend our sovereignty, our independence.”

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!