Cuba's flag is hoisted at the country's embassy in Washington DC. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump said Saturday (local time) that many Cubans died as US forces attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro.
The two Latin American countries are close allies, sharing communist ideology and together weathering US economic sanctions.
For decades, Cuba was heavily dependent on Caracas for economic support and fuel.
In the run-up to the US attack early Saturday, as Washington amassed forces in the Caribbean, the Venezuelan leader was described in US media reports as heavily reliant on advisers and bodyguards from Cuba.
Neither Venezuela nor the United States has released a death toll from the pre-dawn attack that nabbed Maduro, although Trump said no Americans were killed.
In an interview with The New York Post, granted after he gave a press conference to talk about the attack, Trump said, "You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that?"
He added: "Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move."
Trump did not elaborate on the number of people killed.
"Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That's where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn't work out too well in this case," Trump told the Post.
At the press conference with Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Havana.
"If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned at least a little bit," Rubio said.
But Trump told the Post he was not considering military action against Cuba, which has its own economic crisis.
"No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly," Trump said.
- AFP
