Caribbean tensions are reaching a fever pitch as Cuba throws its full political weight behind Venezuela, denouncing the United States’ recent military buildup in the region as a “direct threat” to regional stability. Yet, despite the strong rhetoric, Cuba’s leadership is drawing a clear line: there will be no military intervention on behalf of its embattled ally, even as the specter of conflict looms ever larger.
In a high-profile interview with CNN, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla left no doubt about Havana’s position. “Cuba fully supports the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Rodríguez declared, echoing a message he delivered in New York as world leaders gathered for the United Nations General Assembly. But when pressed about whether Cuba would actually send troops or otherwise intervene militarily if U.S. forces attacked Venezuela, Rodríguez sidestepped. “When you inform me that a U.S. military intervention has taken place, I’ll tell you,” he said, brushing aside the question as hypothetical and refusing to be pinned down.
This diplomatic dance comes as the U.S. has launched its largest military operation in the Caribbean since the 1980s. According to CNN and NBC News, the Pentagon has deployed warships, nuclear submarines, F-35 fighters, and over 7,000 American troops to the region. Officially, Washington claims this show of force is aimed at combating drug trafficking. President Donald Trump himself announced a “new phase” in operations after U.S. strikes on vessels in Caribbean waters left more than a dozen dead. “We had a lot of drugs coming in by water (...). We hit several boats, and since we did that, we have absolutely no drugs coming into our country by sea, because it was lethal. And now we’re going to look at the cartels. We’re going to look very seriously at the cartels coming by land,” Trump said, shifting the focus to land routes.
But for Venezuela and its allies, this explanation rings hollow. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, at the UN General Assembly, blasted the U.S. military buildup as “an absolutely illegal military threat.” He dismissed U.S. claims of extensive drug trafficking networks in Venezuela as “vulgar and perverse lies that no one believes, neither in the United States nor in the world, to justify a million-dollar military threat.” According to Gil, Washington is simply looking for a pretext to intervene against “a peaceful and supportive country.”
The mood in Caracas is one of high alert. President Nicolás Maduro has declared a “state of external commotion,” granting himself extraordinary powers to mobilize the armed forces and control strategic sectors in anticipation of possible U.S. aggression. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez explained that the move is designed to ready the country for any potential “aggression” from the United States.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is reportedly weighing even more aggressive options. NBC News sources say U.S. defense officials are considering drone strikes on criminal leaders and drug labs inside Venezuela, though no final orders have been given. Still, the mere prospect of such direct action on Venezuelan soil has put the entire region on edge. Analysts warn that any U.S. attack could strengthen the Chavista government’s narrative of “defending sovereignty” and justify a crackdown on domestic dissent.
For Cuba, the stakes are particularly high. The island nation has long been Venezuela’s most steadfast regional ally, bound by decades of political and economic cooperation. In his CNN interview, Bruno Rodríguez accused the United States of trying to “revive the policy of gunboat diplomacy” and reimpose the “Monroe Doctrine with the empire of arms.” He insisted, “This extraordinary military deployment constitutes a direct threat to regional peace, stability, and security. We have vigorously protested against this attempt to revive gunboat diplomacy and reimpose the Monroe Doctrine with the might of arms.”
Despite these strong words, Cuba is making it clear it wants to avoid direct military confrontation. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, speaking in New York, was unequivocal: “Cuba will not go to war with the United States,” he said, while warning that a U.S. attack on Venezuela would be “a threat to the entire region.” Cuba’s support, in other words, is political—not military.
The backdrop to all this is a U.S.-Cuba relationship that has grown increasingly fraught. The Trump administration has placed Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, tightened the longstanding economic embargo, and rolled back the Obama-era thaw that had briefly allowed American tourism to flourish. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has spearheaded the administration’s Cuba policy, has publicly declared there is “nothing to discuss” with Havana, blaming the Cuban government for worsening the region’s migration crisis.
Still, Rodríguez says Cuba is open to dialogue—on its own terms. “Cuba’s willingness to maintain a civilized relationship with the U.S. government, whoever it may be, based solely on international law, our complete independence and sovereignty, mutual respect, and reciprocal benefit, is total and current,” Rodríguez told CNN, making it clear that talks would require mutual respect and no preconditions.
Inside Cuba, the situation is far from rosy. The island is grappling with rolling blackouts, food and medicine shortages, and a worsening economic crisis that many blame on U.S. restrictions. Deputy Foreign Minister Fernández de Cossío criticized Washington’s efforts to “disconnect Cuba from the global economy,” arguing that these moves have only deepened the country’s woes.
As for Venezuela, the government continues to reject U.S. accusations of being a drug trafficking hub. At the United Nations, Foreign Minister Gil insisted that the real motivation behind the U.S. military buildup is regime change, not counternarcotics. “Today, the aggression targets Venezuela, a peaceful and supportive country. Since Venezuela cannot be accused of having weapons of mass destruction or nuclear weapons, today they invent vulgar and perverse lies that no one believes, neither in the United States nor in the world, to justify a million-dollar military threat,” he said.
With the Pentagon reportedly considering operations that could begin within weeks, the region is bracing for what could be a dramatic escalation. Cuba, for its part, is walking a diplomatic tightrope—standing by its ally in Caracas, fiercely condemning U.S. actions, but determined not to be drawn into a direct military confrontation with its longtime adversary.
The coming weeks will test the resolve of all parties involved. For now, the Caribbean remains a powder keg, with Cuba’s message to both Washington and Caracas clear: political solidarity, yes; war, no.