US eases Cuba oil embargo but demands ‘dramatic’ changeUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a thumbs-up as he attends a Caribbean Community (Caricom) meeting in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. Attending the talks on the tiny island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Rubio staunchly defended the January 3 US attack that deposed Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that the United States would allow Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba’s private sector for both commercial and humanitarian use. Rubio said that the United States was still studying the “unusual” incident and would respond but said he had little verified information. The United States once championed Venezuela’s democratic opposition but since removing Maduro it has worked with interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s deputy.

Source: Bangkok Post February 26, 2026 12:48 UTC