Rubio to Attend CARICOM Summit in St. Kitts

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday for a one-day trip to a summit of Caribbean Community leaders, aiming to reinforce the Trump administration's focus on the Western Hemisphere amid heightened global attention on U.S. military activities in the Middle East.

The visit comes just one month after a U.S. military operation on January 3 that captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. State Department officials announced the trip on Monday, noting Rubio's participation in group and bilateral meetings with leaders from the 15-member Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM. The discussions will center on promoting regional security, stability, trade and economic growth.

Rubio, a longtime advocate for expanded U.S. engagement in the region, seeks to maintain momentum on hemispheric issues even as the administration redirects its primary foreign policy efforts toward Iran. U.S. forces have amassed in larger numbers in the Middle East than they did before the Venezuela operation, coinciding with President Donald Trump's public threats of military action against Iran.

The Venezuela intervention forms a key part of the...