The United States’ announcement of easing the ban on the export of Venezuelan oil to the private sector in Cuba coincided with a bloody armed clash between the Cuban Coast Guard and a boat coming from Florida, which resulted in the deaths of four people, according to what the Ministry of the Interior in Havana announced on Wednesday. This comes in light of regional warnings that the situation in Cuba will deteriorate, which may spark waves of migration that threaten stability in the Caribbean.

Published on: 02/25/2026 - 23:56 Last updated: 02/26/2026 - 11:57

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An intervention by the Cuban Coast Guard resulted in the killing of four people on board a speedboat registered in the United States and the wounding of six others, during an exchange of fire, according to what the Ministry of the Interior in Havana announced on Wednesday. The ministry statement said that the accident occurred in the waters near the island.

The Ministry reported that a ship belonging to the Cuban Coast Guard approached the boat registered in the state of Florida to identify the passengers, and “shots were fired from the boat,” wounding the captain of the Cuban ship.

The statement also explained that "as a result of the clash... four of the attackers were killed on the foreign side and six others were injured," noting that the wounded were evacuated and provided with medical care, while affirming the authorities' commitment to protecting their territorial waters.

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On the American side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington is investigating the facts of what happened and will respond “accordingly.”

“We will not base our conclusions on what they (Cuba) told us, and I am very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis. “The more information we gather, the more we will be prepared to respond accordingly,” he added.

For his part, Florida Attorney General James Athmeyer announced on Wednesday that local authorities had opened an investigation into the incident. He stated in a post on a social media platform that he gave directions to the state Public Prosecution to work with partners at the federal and state levels and law enforcement agencies to open an investigation.

This clash comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Cuba, which is only 160 kilometers from Florida.

The incident also occurred after Washington announced that it would ease the oil blockade imposed on the island, which has been deprived of Venezuelan supplies since January following the United States’ overthrow and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after Cuba was relying on Venezuela to meet about half of its fuel needs.

The American relief came as a result of warnings issued during the Caribbean Community summit, where Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned that the continuation of the Cuban crisis would destabilize the region and trigger waves of migration that would worry Washington, which also prompted Canada to announce the provision of aid to Cuba worth 5.8 million US dollars.

France 24/AFP

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