US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a strong statement about Cuba, indicating that he thinks the country “is in a lot of trouble,” a day after the US performed a military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
As per a report by NBC News, while speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press, Secretary Rubio sidestepped what the future of policy might hold, saying, I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard," he said. "I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro," Rubio said, accusing the Cuban government of having an important role in supporting Maduro’s regime.
Rubio’s comments followed a Saturday news conference where he and President Donald Trump suggested the administration may shift its focus toward Cuba, with the secretary of state delivering a pointed message to Cuban officials: “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.”
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Cuba’s alleged role in Maduro’s security apparatus
Rubio argued that Cuban leaders were well integrated into Venezuela’s security infrastructure. According to Rubio, Maduro’s safety was not guaranteed by Venezuelan soldiers but by Cuban guards. "It was Cubans that guarded Maduro", he said. "He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards", he added.
Rubio argued that Cubans dominated operations of "internal intelligence", which focused on Maduro’s cabinet, including those "who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors."
"Those are all Cubans," Rubio said, supporting his long-standing argument that Cuba’s involvement in Venezuela is not just limited to diplomatic relations.
Trump draws parallels between Cuba and Venezuela
This was repeated by US President Donald Trump in a press conference on Saturday, where he said, "I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people". Trump further said, "It’s very similar (to Venezuela) in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country."
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As per the report by NBC News, similarly, President Donald Trump also defined his Latin America policy by citing the Monroe Doctrine since China’s presence in Latin America, Iran’s effect on Latin America’s economic systems, and Russia’s intervention in Venezuela’s petroleum industry violate traditional United States foreign policy guidelines.
US president aims at regional leaders
Over the weekend, Trump also targeted other leaders in Latin America. Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being involved in "cocaine mills", telling him to “watch his a**.” "He has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He’s making cocaine. They’re sending it into the United States. So he does have to watch his ass", he said.
In another interview with Fox News, Trump claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is allowing drug cartels to move about freely, saying, "Something is going to have to be done with Mexico."
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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel vigorously condemned the US operation in Venezuela as "state terrorism" on Saturday. In a statement and on X, he wrote, "#Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on #Venezuela. Our #ZonaDePaz [Zone of Peace] is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America."
According to the report by NBC News, Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has for years called for regime change in Cuba and Venezuela. He's previously contended that weakening Maduro's government would also starve Cuba economically, given the nation's purported revenues from security and intelligence services exported to Caracas.
