US secretary of state Marco Rubio strongly defended the US intervention in Venezuela to a gathering of Caribbean nations today, also calling for stronger energy ties in the region in comments delivered as Cuba reported a firefight with a US-flagged vessel.
"I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago," Rubio told members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) on Wednesday in a summit in St Kitts and Nevis. Caricom has 15 members and six associate members, but does not include Cuba or Venezuela.
The US will continue to drive for fair, democratic elections in Venezuela, Rubio said, after leaving it in the hands of collaborators of former President Nicolas Maduro, whom the US captured on 3 January.
The initial priorities of preventing mass migration and spillover violence in the wake of Maduro's seizure were achieved, he said.
More broadly in the region, the US hopes to help ensure economic development and better access to energy, Rubio said.
"Many of the countries represented here today have energy resources that I know you seek to explore responsibly, safely, but in a way that generates wealth and prosperity for your people and your countries, and we want to be your partner in that regard," Rubio said.
Cuba confrontation
The Caribbean meeting came as Cuba reported on the same day that it killed four of 10 passengers on a Florida-flagged speedboat that invaded its territorial waters and opened fire on an approaching Cuban coast guard vessel.
The coast guard shot back, also wounding six of the passengers who are now receiving medical care, the interior ministry said.
"Cuba ratifies its will to protect its territorial waters," the ministry said.
The US has not confirmed the incident but it is "a situation we're monitoring, hopefully it's not as bad as we fear it could be. But I can't say more," vice-president JD Vance said on Wednesday afternoon.
The ship was about one nautical mile offshore from the city of Corralillo on the northern coast of Cuba, according to Cuba's account. It had a hull identification number of FL7726SH, Cuba said. This indicates it was not likely a military vessel, which Florida's boat registration authority lists as exempt from state titling.
