The official spokesperson Jorge Legañoa went in just a few days from publicly rejecting as a "manipulation maneuver" the reports about conversations between Cuba and the United States to directly questioning Miguel Díaz-Canel on television about the same exchanges, after the leader officially acknowledged that Cuban officials had recent contacts with representatives of the U.S. government.
The contrast was evident between two interventions separated by just a few days.
On March 9, in a statement broadcast by the Cuban Television News, Legañoa dismissed the reports about alleged negotiations with Washington and presented them as part of a campaign to "confuse, divide, and demobilize" the population and supporters of the regime.
"Every day they strike with a narrative aimed at confusing, dividing, and demobilizing the population and Cuba's supportive friends... what I mean is the supposed negotiations that are published every day," he said then.
In that same statement, the commentator emphasized that historically, Cuba has shown a willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, but "without any tricks," "in a serious and responsible manner," based on respect for sovereignty and international law.
He also summarized the official line as a combination of "aggression from Washington," manipulation regarding a "supposed dialogue," and the response of a people who, he stated, were resisting with creativity and effort.
The change of tone
However, days later, Legañoa himself was the one to start the questions directed at Díaz-Canel following the televised announcement regarding discussions with the United States.
At that moment, he changed his tone and took the existence of the exchanges as a given.
“We just saw a segment on Cuban television a few minutes ago featuring your intervention with an announcement… which leads to the question I have, regarding the discussions with the U.S. government… my question would be, since it has been announced that exchanges are happening, if we are talking about a process of sustained dialogues, what will be discussed, what topics or that agenda, that roadmap… and the principles for that dialogue with the U.S. government,” he posed.
Díaz-Canel's response not only confirmed the existence of those contacts but also emphasized the contradiction of the moment.
The leader described the question as "interesting" and "timely," and explicitly noted that it came from one of the individuals who had been discussing the topic "systematically."
According to his explanation, the regime decided to announce “the exact moment we are in that process” because there had been “many speculations” surrounding that matter.
He added that these are discrete, lengthy processes in the initial phases, where contacts are first established, the possibility of dialogue channels is assessed, and the willingness of both parties is evaluated, before constructing agendas, entering into negotiations, and eventually reaching agreements.
It was in that context that Díaz-Canel formally acknowledged that "Cuban officials recently held talks with representatives of the United States government," attributing this step to the "consistent policy" of the Revolution under the leadership of Raúl Castro, himself, and the main institutions of the Party, Government, and State.
The denials of dialogue
The episode gains more prominence because the Cuban leadership had repeatedly denied the existence of negotiations, even when public reports about those contacts were already circulating and when Donald Trump himself had acknowledged them weeks earlier.
The state television went so far as to claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had manipulated Trump with a supposed "tale" about negotiations between Washington and Havana.
In that regard, the announcer Rey Gómez stated on television that the Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío had consistently denied the existence of negotiations to prevent direct action by the United States against Cuba.
Although the diplomat reiterated the official willingness to engage in talks "on an equal footing and without preconditions," he denied that a dialogue existed under the terms that, according to the authorities, were being discussed on social media and in U.S. statements.
The official narrative went even further. It was suggested that Trump had been misled by Rubio and other officials.
"Everything seems to indicate that the Secretary of State has made President Trump believe the story about the negotiations," said Gómez, who described that alleged operation as a "blatant manipulation" and a "dangerous pretext."
He also mentioned Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart and the U.S. Ambassador in Havana, Mike Hammer, as supposed "spokespeople for the Rubio plan for regime change in Cuba."
According to that same official commentary, Rubio would have "made Trump dance to his tune" and "took him for his own purposes," implying that the head of U.S. diplomacy was using the Cuban issue to advance his own political agenda.
With that formulation, the state television not only denied the conversations but also presented any reference to them as part of a manipulation operation from Washington.
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