Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed on Thursday, in a meeting with the Political Bureau, the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, that Cuban officials have held talks with representatives of the U.S. government, aimed at "seeking solutions through dialogue for bilateral differences."
The video of the Cuban leader was released this Friday on Canal Caribe, ahead of his meeting with the state-controlled press.
Díaz-Canel specified that the discussions have been conducted at the highest level: "Led by the Army General as the historic leader of our revolution and by me, in collegial agreement with the highest structure of the party, the state, and the government," he stated, in explicit reference to Raúl Castro.
The announcement represents a complete turnaround from the official stance held for weeks.
On January 12, Díaz-Canel himself denied the existence of such conversations, limiting them to "technical contacts in the migratory field."
In February, the Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated that "that dialogue has not started." On March 10, the regime denied negotiations again.
Díaz-Canel outlined four objectives for the talks: to identify the most serious bilateral issues, to find solutions, to assess the willingness of both parties, and to explore areas of cooperation for regional security.
He also pointed out that "there are international factors that have facilitated these exchanges" and that the Cuban side insists that the process should take place "on the basis of equality and respect for the political systems of both states."
The backdrop of the confirmation is an unprecedented crisis
After the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Cuba lost the supply of approximately 30,000 daily barrels of Venezuelan oil, which covered 40% of its energy needs.
In February, up to 58% of the island experienced simultaneous blackouts, with a generation deficit of 1,754 MW. The Trump administration has imposed over 240 new sanctions and designated Cuba as an "unusual threat."
Since February, media outlets like Axios and the Miami Herald had revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was maintaining conversations with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the 41-year-old grandson of Raúl Castro, known as "El Cangrejo," who is a colonel and former personal security chief of the former Cuban leader.
A senior Trump official described those contacts as "discussions about the future" and "surprisingly friendly." On March 7, Trump publicly stated that "Marco Rubio is talking to Cuba right now" and that a deal could be reached "in an hour."
The Rubio team arrived to meet with 'The Crab' in Saint Kitts during the CARICOM summit, while later reports confirmed that the U.S. was holding secret conversations with Raul's circle.
In that context, there was also speculation that Trump was pushing for a leadership change in Havana and that Díaz-Canel could fall.
In parallel to the diplomatic announcement, the regime reported today the release of 51 prisoners in the coming days, which Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez attributed to the "spirit of goodwill" and dialogue with the Vatican. The measure was rejected by opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, who labeled it a "mockery."
Prisoners Defenders reported in February a historic record of 1,214 political prisoners in Cuba.
The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar responded to the announcement with a direct message to the regime: "Your time is up."
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