The former Cuban spy Gerardo Hernández Nordelo celebrated on his account on X the secret meeting between delegations from Cuba and the United States, which took place on April 10 in Havana, presenting it as a dialogue "on equal terms!" while dismissing reports about a supposed ultimatum from Washington regarding the release of political prisoners.
Hernández, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and a member of the Council of State, accompanied his message with an image that reproduces the official version from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "All exchanges were conducted in a respectful and professional manner."
In the same post, he lashed out at those who have spread rumors of deadlines or conditions: "Did you read it correctly, haters? Only those who want to sabotage the process (and do not know Cuba) have talked about deadlines and ultimatums."
The meeting was also confirmed on Monday by Alejandro García del Toro, Deputy Director General for the United States at MINREX, in statements to the official newspaper Granma. The official acknowledged that the meeting included deputy secretaries from the State Department on Washington's side and deputy ministers of Foreign Affairs from the Cuban side, describing it as “serious, respectful, and professional.”
This is the first contact of this level since Barack Obama's visit in 2016, during which a U.S. government plane landed on the island, reinforcing the exceptional nature of the meeting.
However, the official narrative of the regime contrasts with reports from U.S. media. revealed the existence of an alleged two-week ultimatum —approximately due on April 24— for the release of high-profile political prisoners such as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo.
For its part, Axios reported last Friday that the meeting included Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo,” the grandson of Raúl Castro and head of his personal security, who has established himself as one of the key interlocutors of the regime in Washington.
According to those reports, the Cuban delegation focused its agenda on demanding the lifting of the so-called "energy blockade," which the government describes as an "unjustified collective punishment" and "global blackmail."
From Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has , which include changes in the political system, leadership, and economic model. In a similar vein, President Donald Trump stated last Friday at a rally in Phoenix that “very soon the great strength of the U.S. military will bring a new dawn for Cuba.”
Hernández's statements—one of the so-called "Five Heroes," convicted in the United States for espionage and released in 2014 as part of the thaw between Obama and Raúl Castro—are part of the regime's communication strategy to project firmness and sovereignty to its internal base at a time of increasing international pressure.
In parallel, Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar reacted this Monday with a direct message to the government of Havana: “The games are over.”
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