U.S. Commander Meets With Cuban Military Officials As Trump Pressures Island Nation
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Latin America met with Cuban military leaders on Friday “in a brief exchange of views on operational security issues” near the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, the latest official to visit the island nation as President Donald Trump. increases pressure on their leaders.
Trump warned that “Cuba is next” after US military forces captured Venezuela’s autocratic leader. Nicolas MaduroDuring a raid in January. In the months since, the Trump administration has imposed an oil blockade on Cuba, maintained warships in the Caribbean Sea, and A lawsuit was filed against former Cuban President Raúl Castro on federal charges.
Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, met with Lt. Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo and other Cuban military officials.
The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement that both sides “welcomed the meeting positively, because it discussed security issues in the surrounding area separating the military zone, and they agreed to maintain communication between the two military commands.”
Including Trump’s top aides Secretary of State Marco Rubio And CIA chief John RatcliffeWe also met with Cuban officials to explore possible developments in relations. However, the US side left these talks unimpressed, which led to even more sanctions being imposed on the Cuban government.
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In a post on channel X, U.S. Southern Command said that in addition to the meeting, Donovan also assessed the security of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay and “discussed the safety of service members and their families and operational readiness issues with base officials.”
The United States maintains the base despite decades of friction with Cuba’s socialist leaders, whom Trump wants removed from power.
The U.S. military has a handful of Navy ships in the Caribbean, including at least one amphibious assault ship; This is a much smaller force than was present at the time of the Maduro raid.
On Friday, the Pentagon announced that the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed to the region last summer, will be replaced by a new unit of 1,300 sailors and marines.
Associated Press writer Andrea Rodríguez in Havana contributed to this report.
