Cuba has accused the United States of moving toward the violent removal of Venezuela’s leadership and warned that the expanding deployment of US forces in the Caribbean is an “exaggerated and aggressive” threat to regional stability.
“We appeal to the people of the United States to stop this madness,” Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a statement on Tuesday. He cautioned that “the US government could cause an incalculable number of deaths and create a scenario of violence and instability in the hemisphere that would be unimaginable,” adding such actions would violate international law and the UN charter.
The condemnation comes as US President Donald Trump considers further measures against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with the White House not ruling out more forceful options. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of directing a campaign to smuggle drugs into the United States, though it has not presented evidence to support the claims.
Over the past two months, the US has struck 21 boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, actions that have killed at least 83 people. US officials said the boats were involved in drug trafficking, but authorities have not released proof that narcotics were aboard, and legal experts argue the attacks could breach international law even if drugs were found. The US military presence in the region has grown to its largest level in decades, with roughly 15,000 personnel stationed across the Caribbean.
Trump has insisted he is not seeking to topple the Venezuelan government. Still, recent reporting has raised concerns about possible US intervention: Reuters, citing US officials, said Washington was preparing a new phase of operations related to Venezuela, and some options reportedly discussed included attempts to overthrow Maduro.
Last month, Trump authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The US also continues to offer a $50 million reward related to Maduro, a figure that has grown significantly since Trump’s first term. Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013, says Washington aims to remove him and vows that the Venezuelan military and people would resist any such effort.
Tensions increased when the US formally designated the so-called Cartel de los Soles—a term used to describe alleged high-level corruption among Venezuelan officials—as a foreign terrorist organisation. The phrase refers to corruption at senior levels rather than a discrete organised criminal cartel.
Trump has told advisers he plans to speak directly with Maduro at a yet-to-be-announced date.
Amid the heightened tensions, senior US military officials began a Caribbean tour, meeting regional leaders. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to meet Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar; their offices said the talks reaffirmed bilateral ties and covered challenges affecting the Caribbean, including illicit narcotics and transnational criminal activity. Caine began the trip with a stop in Puerto Rico, where he met US troops.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was scheduled to continue engagements in Santo Domingo, meeting Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader and Defence Minister Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre. The Pentagon described the visits as efforts to strengthen defence relationships and reaffirm the US commitment to homeland defence.
Most Caribbean leaders have urged restraint and dialogue in response to the US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, though Persad-Bissessar has openly backed the attacks. In September she declared she had no sympathy for drug traffickers and said “the US military should kill them all violently,” remarks that drew criticism from regional figures and some domestic opponents.
Amery Browne, a former Trinidad foreign minister, called the prime minister’s stance “reckless” and said it had distanced Trinidad and Tobago from CARICOM, the regional bloc.