Asher Notheis

Washington Examiner

Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t divulge details on what the future holds for Cuba after the United States captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, only saying the Trump administration isn’t “big fans” of Cuba’s regime.

Rubio dismissed the idea of the U.S. being at war with Venezuela, suggesting the U.S. is actually at war against drug trafficking organizations. In the wake of Maduro’s capture and detention in New York City, Rubio said Cuba’s government has been “a huge problem” for the U.S. when asked if the Trump administration would go after its government next.

“I think they’re in a lot of trouble, yes. I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard, but I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro,” Rubio said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

The secretary of state also said it is “premature” to host new elections in Venezuela, saying the country’s old “regime” was in place for 15 years. Going forward, Rubio said the U.S. is focused on addressing the problems created by Maduro and will also give people “an opportunity” to address these issues.

“Until they address it, they will continue to face this oil quarantine. They will continue to face pressure from the United States. We will continue to target drug boats that they run toward the United States. We will continue to seize the boats that are sanctioned with court orders. We will continue to do that and potentially other things until the things we need to see addressed are addressed,” Rubio said.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has denounced the U.S. operation against Maduro, calling it a “criminal U.S. attack,” and said there needs to be an “URGENT reaction from the international community.”

Following Maduro’s ouster, the Venezuelan government reasserted its control over Caracas with military and paramilitary troops.