The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, visited Havana on Thursday leading a United States presidential delegation, in one of the highest-level contacts between Washington and the Cuban regime in decades, as confirmed by the island's government through an official statement published on the website of the Communist Party of Cuba.
CiberCuba had access to the information before the regime confirmed it publicly, through two unidentifiable sources. The news was revealed when reporting on the landing of a U.S. Air Force plane at José Martí International Airport, identified as flight SAM554, a Boeing C-40B Clipper with registration 01-0040, arriving from Joint Base Andrews in Washington.
The prefix SAM stands for "Special Air Mission," a designation reserved for high-level flights of the U.S. government.
According to the official statement, "upon the request made by the U.S. government for a delegation headed by the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, to be received in Havana, the leadership of the Revolution approved the holding of this visit and the meeting with their counterpart from the Ministry of the Interior."
The regime's text describes the meeting as held "in a context characterized by the complexity of bilateral relations, with the aim of contributing to the political dialogue between both nations."
The central focus of the meeting was the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT), which the Trump administration reinstated Cuba to in February 2025. The Cuban statement affirms that the exchanges "categorically demonstrated that Cuba does not pose a threat to the national security of the U.S., nor are there legitimate reasons to include it in the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism."
The regime also reiterated that the island "does not harbor, support, finance, or allow terrorist or extremist organizations" and that there are no foreign military or intelligence bases on its territory.
Both parties also expressed "interest in developing bilateral cooperation between law enforcement and compliance agencies, aimed at the security of both nations, as well as regional and international security."
Ratcliffe's visit occurs within a week of intense diplomatic activity. On May 12, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "Cuba asks for help, and we are going to talk!" The following day, Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that he is "always open to dialogue."
This Thursday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla softened Cuba's stance on the proposal of 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid offered by the U.S., stating that Cuba is “willing to listen to the details of the offer”, a significant shift from his position on May 9, when he referred to the proposal as a “fable” and a “lie of 100 million dollars.”
The immediate precursor to today's visit was the secret meeting on April 10, when a delegation from the State Department, overseen by Marco Rubio, conducted the first landing of an official U.S. aircraft in Cuba since 2016, meeting with Cuban deputy ministers to discuss issues such as the release of political prisoners, the opening of the internet via Starlink, and the presence of foreign groups on the island.
In parallel with the dialogue, the Trump administration has maintained a policy of maximum pressure: more than 240 sanctions imposed on Cuba since January 2026, interception of at least seven tankers, and at least 25 military surveillance flights near Cuba's coasts.
Ratcliffe has a history of high-level missions in the region: in January 2026, he traveled to Caracas to meet with Venezuelan officials as part of the negotiations that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, making his visit to Havana a signal of the strategic importance that Washington assigns to this process.
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