Cuba’s foreign minister on Sunday urged Latin American and Caribbean nations to collectively defend their independence and sovereignty following recent US military actions in Venezuela. Speaking at an extraordinary summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Bruno Rodriguez warned that Washington’s actions pose a grave and historic danger to the region.
Addressing delegates, Rodriguez said the US operation represents an existential threat that goes beyond political and ideological differences. He stressed that Latin America does not belong to any external power and should not be treated as a contested territory. According to him, sovereignty rests solely with the peoples of the region, and any attempt to undermine it must face a unified response.
Rodriguez also criticised US President Donald Trump’s remarks about asserting control over Venezuela’s oil industry. He said such statements carry clear colonialist overtones and violate the principles of international law. Moreover, he called on CELAC members to resist what he described as the normalisation of force in resolving political disputes.
Demand for release and accountability
The Cuban foreign minister demanded the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, who were taken to the United States and transferred to New York to face criminal charges. He urged regional governments to reject what he called an unlawful abduction and insist on due process under international norms.
Furthermore, Rodriguez said CELAC must not allow force and barbarity to prevail over international law. He called for accountability from those responsible for the attacks, citing civilian deaths and the dangerous precedent such actions set for the region.
On Saturday, Trump said the United States would assert control over Venezuela if necessary, including through the deployment of troops. Meanwhile, Maduro and Flores remain detained in Brooklyn, while Caracas continues to deny the allegations and demand their release.
Cuba also announced that 32 of its combatants were killed during the US attacks, prompting Havana to declare two national days of mourning.
