During a White House Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (27 May), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided an update on Venezuela and Cuba at the request of US President Donald Trump.
Rubio said Venezuela’s ongoing “stabilisation, recovery and transition” process was continuing, adding that “over 10 million barrels of Venezuelan oil” had been delivered to the United States since 3 January 2026.
He said Venezuela’s oil industry was being “professionalised for the first time ever”, adding that oil revenues were being held in accounts monitored by the US Treasury Department and audited by KPMG. Rubio stated that “the money’s not being stolen” and was instead intended “for the benefit of the Venezuelan people”.
Turning to Cuba, Rubio said the country was facing significant economic difficulties and criticised the island’s leadership, describing it as “a bunch of incompetent communists”. He also criticised GAESA, the military-linked conglomerate which he said controlled much of Cuba’s economy.
Rubio said “none of the money” generated through GAESA “goes to help the Cuban people” and argued that instability in Cuba represented “a threat to the national security of the United States” due to the island’s proximity to the US.
He added that Washington would continue discussions regarding Cuba and broader regional stability.
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