US Secretary of StateMarco Rubioon Wednesday defended the Trump administrations military operation to capture VenezuelasNicols Maduro, telling Caribbean leaders many of whom objected to the move that the country and the region were better off as a result.

Speaking to leaders from the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc at a summit in St Kitts and Nevis, Rubio brushed aside concerns about the legality of Maduros capture last month that have been raised among Venezuelas island-state neighbours and others.

Irrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy towardVenezuela, I will tell you this, and I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago, Rubio told the leaders in a closed-door meeting, according to a transcript of his remarks later distributed by the US State Department.

Rubio said that since Maduros ouster and the effective takeover of Venezuelas oil sector by the United States, the interim authorities in the South American country have made substantial progress in improving conditions by doing things that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.

The Caribbean leaders have gathered to debate pressing issues in a region that PresidentDonald Trumphas targeted for a 21st-century incarnation of the Monroe Doctrine meant to ensure Washingtons dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The Republican administration has declared a focus closer to home even as Washington increasingly has been preoccupied by the possibility of aUS militaryattack on Iran.

Read moreFour killed in firefight between Cuban coastguard and Florida-registered speedboat

His trip to the region came as Cubas government announced that its soldiers killed four people aboard a speedboat registered in Florida whose occupants it said opened fire on officers in Cuban waters.

Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. Its not something that happens every day. Its something, frankly, that hasnt happened with Cuba in a very long time, Rubio told reporters. He said that the US is gathering its own information and that well be prepared to respond accordingly.

In his remarks to the group, Americas top diplomat tried to play down any antagonistic intent in what Trump has referred to as the Donroe Doctrine. Rubio said the administration wants to strengthen ties with the region following the Venezuela operation and ensure that issues such as crime and economic opportunities are jointly addressed.

I am very happy to be in an administration thats giving priority to the Western Hemisphere after largely being ignored for a very long time, Rubio said. We share common opportunities, and we share some common challenges. And thats what we hope to confront.

He said transnational criminal organisations pose the biggest threat to the Caribbean while recognising that many are buying weapons from theUnited States, a problem he said authorities are tackling.

Read moreTop US commander makes surprise visit to Venezuela after Maduros capture

Rubio also said the US and the Caribbean can work together on economic advancement and energy issues, especially because many leaders at the four-day summit have energy resources they seek to explore. We want to be your partner in that regard, he said.

Rubio said the US recognises the need for fair,democratic electionsin Venezuela, which lies just miles away from Trinidad and Tobago at the closest point.

We do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela whos governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today, he said.

Trump, in hisState of the Union addressTuesday night, called the operation that spirited Maduro out of Venezuela to facedrug traffickingcharges in New York an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States.

The US had built up the largest military presence in the Caribbean Sea in generations before the January 3 raid. That has now been exceeded by the surge of American warships and aircraft to the Middle East as the administration pressures Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme.

In the Caribbean, Trump has stepped up aggressive tactics to combat alleged drug smuggling with a series of strikes on boats that have killed over 150 people and he has tightened pressure on Cuba. Regional leaders have complained about administration demands for nations to accept third-country deportees and to chill relations with China.

One regional leader who has backed the US escalation is Trinidad and Tobago Prime MinisterKamla Persad-Bissessar, whom Rubio thanked for her public support, the State Department said.

Read moreUS buildup of warships and fighter jets sets stage for potential war with Iran

Persad-Bissessar told reporters that her conversation with Rubio focused onHaiti; we talked aboutCuba, of course; we talked about engagements with Venezuela and the way forward.

She was asked if she considered the latest US military strikes in Caribbean waters as extrajudicial killings: I dont think they are, and if they are, we will find out, but our legal advice is they are not.

Rubio had other one-on-one meetings with heads of government, including those from St Kitts and Nevis, Haiti,JamaicaandGuyana.

Terrance Drew, prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis and chair of the Caribbean Community bloc, said the region stands at a decisive hour and that the global order is shifting.

Drew and other leaders said Cubas humanitarian situation must be addressed.

It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned. It will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.

Rubio told reporters that he talked to Caribbean leaders about how the Cuba status quo is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change.

What the Cuban people should know is this, that if they are hungry and they are suffering, its not because were not prepared to help them. We are. Its that the people standing in the way of us helping them is the regime. Its their communist party, he said.

The US Treasury Department on Wednesday slightly eased restrictions on the sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, which instituted austere fuel-saving measures in the weeks after the US raid in Venezuela.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Originally published on France24