Washington — The commander of U.S. forces in Latin America met with Cuban military leaders on Friday for a “brief exchange on operational security matters” near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, the latest official to visit the island nation under President Donald Trump. The pressure increases On its leaders.
Trump warned that Cuba was “next” after US military forces captured the authoritarian Venezuelan leader. Nicolas MaduroIn the January raid. In recent months, the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade and kept warships in the Caribbean Sea Accusation of a former Cuban leader On federal charges.
Trump’s top aides, incl Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John RatcliffeThey met with Cuban officials to explore possible improvements in relations. But the American side did not like those talks, which led to the imposition of more sanctions on the Cuban government.
Besides meeting Friday with Cuban military officials, U.S. Gen. Francis L. Donovan assessed the US Naval base’s security and discussed “the safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,” US Southern Command said in a post on X.
The United States still maintains its base at Guantanamo Bay despite decades of friction with Cuba’s socialist leaders, whom Trump wants to remove from power.
The US military now has a few naval vessels, including at least one amphibious assault ship, in the Caribbean, a much smaller force than at the time of the Maduro raid.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that a new unit of 1,300 sailors and Marines will replace the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed to the region last summer.