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Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and the grandson of Raúl Castro, is said to have attempted to establish direct contact with President Donald Trump through a letter sent outside the traditional diplomatic channels, according to sources from the U.S. government with direct knowledge of the matter cited by Martí Noticias.
The letter is believed to have been sent through the businessman Roberto Carlos Chamizo González, 37 years old, who arrived in the United States this weekend but was returned to Cuba after attempting to carry out actions without recognized official accreditation.
"He tried to move as if he were performing a diplomatic function, but he had no recognized status," said a source in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the same sources, the document bore a Cuban official seal and was written in the format of a diplomatic note.
"It was not a personal letter. It had all the structure of an official communication, although it did not arrive through the usual channels," explained a second official consulted.
Martí Noticias could not independently verify the full content of the letter, but according to sources, the message included calls to avoid a potential escalation of tensions, claimed that the regime is prepared for a U.S. military incursion, and suggested exploring economic agreements and the removal of sanctions.
Sources interpreted the move as a maneuver to bypass Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"It is an attempt to buy time and open a direct channel with the president. They want to sideline Secretary of State Marco Rubio because he believes that without a change in the system, there will be no real possibility for improvement," one of the sources noted.
Chamizo González has been linked to high-end tourism businesses in Cuba, including the estate "El Patrón," frequented by members of the Cuban elite.
Investigative reports from CubaNet documented that business ventures associated with him managed to integrate into circuits controlled by GAESA, the military conglomerate that dominates between 30% and 40% of the Cuban economy, which is quite unusual for private businesses on the island. Chamizo also founded Havana Prestige, a luxury car service in Havana.
The alleged sending of the letter coincides with recent statements from the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel in an interview with NBC News, in which he reiterated his refusal to release political prisoners and call for multiparty elections, conditions demanded by Washington for any change in its policy toward Cuba.
The attempt takes place at a time of increasing bilateral tension. Trump stated on March 27 that "Cuba is talking to Marco Rubio and we will do something very soon", while Rubio has conditioned any agreement on structural reforms of the Cuban political system.
Since February, Axios had revealed that Rubio was having conversations described as "surprisingly friendly" with "El Cangrejo" about the future of Cuba.
Rodríguez Castro, aged 41, is a lieutenant colonel in the Ministry of the Interior and head of personal security for his grandfather Raúl Castro.
His father was the late General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, former president of GAESA.
Although maintaining a limited public profile, he was seen at the high-level Communist Party meeting on March 13 where the regime acknowledged that it was negotiating with the Trump administration.
The State Department forwarded the inquiries from Martí Noticias to the White House, which had not responded by the time the note was closed.
"They are trying to buy time and find interlocutors who are not bound by Washington's harder lines," warned one of the sources consulted.
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