Cuba has accused the United States of pushing towards the violent removal of Venezuela’s leadership, warning that the growing deployment of US military forces in the Caribbean represents an “exaggerated and aggressive” threat to regional stability.

“We appeal to the people of the United States to stop this madness”, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a statement on Tuesday.

He cautioned that “the US government could cause an incalculable number of deaths and create a scenario of violence and instability in the hemisphere that would be unimaginable”, adding that such actions would breach international law as well as the United Nations charter.

The condemnation comes as US President Donald Trump weighs additional actions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with the White House refusing to rule out more forceful measures.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of leading a campaign to smuggle drugs into the US, even though it has not provided any evidence to back its claim.

Over the past two months, the US has bombed 21 boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, killing at least 83 people. It claimed that these boats were involved in drug trafficking, but authorities have released no evidence showing narcotics were present, and legal scholars argue that even if drugs were found, the attacks would likely still violate international law.

The US military footprint in the region is now the largest it has been in decades, with roughly 15,000 US personnel stationed across the Caribbean.

Trump has repeatedly insisted he is not seeking to topple the Venezuelan government.

Still, recent developments have heightened concerns about potential US intervention. On Saturday, the Reuters news agency reported – citing four US officials – that Washington was preparing to enter a new phase of operations related to Venezuela, and two of those officials said the options included attempting to overthrow Maduro.

Last month, Trump authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. Meanwhile, the US has also maintained a $50m reward for Maduro, an incentive that has expanded significantly since Trump’s first term.

Maduro, who has governed since 2013, maintains that Washington aims to remove him from power and says both the Venezuelan military and people would resist such efforts.

Tensions rose further this week when the US formally added the Cartel de los Soles – or Cartel of the Suns – to its list of foreign terrorist organisations (FTO). Cartel de los Soles is a term that Venezuelans use to describe high-level corruption by the country’s senior officials and leaders, but it isn’t an organised cartel, per se.

Trump told advisers on Monday that he intends to speak directly with Maduro at a date yet to be announced.

A Caribbean tour

Amid the soaring tensions, top US military officials began a tour of the Caribbean this week, meeting with leaders in the region.

Dan Caine, the top US military officer, travelled to Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday for talks with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. According to a summary released by Caine’s office, the two reaffirmed bilateral ties and “exchanged views on challenges affecting the Caribbean region, including the destabilizing effects of illicit narcotics … and transnational criminal organization activities”.

Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also assured Persad-Bissessar of Washington’s commitment to “address shared threats and deepen collaboration across the Caribbean”, the Pentagon said.

He began his tour of the Caribbean on Monday with a stop in Puerto Rico, where he met US troops.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to continue the diplomatic push on Wednesday in Santo Domingo, where he will meet Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader and Defence Minister Carlos Antonio Fernandez Onofre. The Pentagon said the visit is intended “to strengthen defense relationships and reaffirm America’s commitment to defend the homeland”.

Most Caribbean leaders have responded cautiously to the US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, calling for restraint and dialogue. Persad-Bissessar, however, has openly supported the attacks.

In early September, she said she had no sympathy for drug traffickers, declaring that “the US military should kill them all violently”. Her comments prompted criticism from regional figures and some domestic opposition politicians.