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The Cuban regime's chancellor, Bruno Rodríguez, asserted that his government does not interfere in the affairs of other states shortly after news broke about the departure of Cuban personnel from Venezuela.
"Cuba poses no threat to any country. Our foreign policy is peaceful, supportive, and committed to peace, friendship, and cooperation. It is respectful of International Law and the UN Charter. We do not aggress, threaten, or interfere in the affairs of other States," Rodríguez said on X.
"It is inconceivable that the greatest and most aggressive economic, military, and technological power in the world could use the slanderous pretext of claiming to feel threatened by a nation the size of Cuba," he added.
Rodríguez's statements come shortly after Reuters reported on the gradual exit of Cuban advisors and security forces from Venezuela, which could represent the potential dismantling of a military and intelligence control structure that Havana helped design since 2008 to shield chavismo against internal conspiracies and military fractures.
The withdrawal, confirmed by Reuters, takes on greater significance when contrasted with years of official denials from the Cuban regime regarding its direct involvement in security and repression activities in the South American country.
According to the report, Cuban advisors have been removed from key positions within the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), the organization identified for its central role in the surveillance, persecution, and imprisonment of officials suspected of disloyalty.
Similarly, acting president Delcy Rodríguez is said to have replaced Cuban escorts with Venezuelan bodyguards, breaking with the practice established by Hugo Chávez and maintained by Nicolás Maduro, who entrusted their personal security to elite forces sent from Havana.
The immediate trigger was the U.S. military operation on January 3, which resulted in the capture of Maduro and left 32 Cuban personnel dead.
Havana confirmed the casualties and described them as "internationalist heroes," a recognition that contrasted with years of categorical denials regarding the Cuban military presence in Venezuela.
Rodríguez has traveled in recent weeks in search of assistance for the suffocating regime in Havana amid pressure from Trump.
Last Wednesday, he was received at the Kremlin by Putin who reaffirmed that Russia will “always” stand by Havana against what he described as the “energy blockade” by the United States.
During the meeting, Putin declared that Russia has “always” been “by Cuba's side in its struggle for independence and the right to follow its own path,” adding that this is a “special period, with new sanctions,” to which —he said— Moscow does not accept “anything similar.”
Rodríguez expressed gratitude for the “Russian solidarity” expressed—according to the text—by the president and the Russian government “in a firm and continuous manner.”
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