The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, visited Cuba this Thursday to meet with high-ranking officials of the regime in one of the most unusual visits by a senior U.S. intelligence official to the island, as confirmed by two CIA officials to Axios and .
Ratcliffe sat across from Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" or "Raulito," grandson of Raúl Castro and lieutenant colonel of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), along with the Minister of the Interior Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services.
The Cuban government itself was the first to disclose the meeting, describing it as "part of the efforts to address the current situation."
The message that Ratcliffe took to Havana was from President Donald Trump: the United States is willing to seriously engage on economic and security issues "but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes," including ceasing to be a refuge for Washington's adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
"During the meeting, Director Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed cooperation in intelligence, economic stability, and security matters, all against the backdrop of Cuba no longer being able to serve as a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere," noted a CIA official.
Ratcliffe also urged Cuban officials to take note of the operation on January 3, 2026, which overthrew Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela—when Washington took control of Venezuelan oil exports that Cuba critically depended on—as evidence that Trump should be taken seriously.
The visit occurs at the worst moment of the Cuban energy crisis in years. The Minister of Energy, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted on Wednesday that Cuba "absolutely has no fuel or diesel" and that power outages could exceed 20-22 hours daily.
The night before Ratcliffe's visit, massive protests erupted in Havana, featuring loud pot-and-pan demonstrations, while power outages lasting up to 24 consecutive hours threatened frozen food supplies and prevented thousands of residents from sleeping.
"They have no fuel. They have no money. They have no one to come and rescue them. The regime has been stubborn since 1959, but even they realize that it is time for a change," said a senior official from the Trump administration.
The meeting with "El Cangrejo" is not the first. Marco Rubio began secret conversations with him in February 2026 in Saint Kitts and Nevis, bypassing the official channels of Díaz-Canel, and a delegation from the State Department formally met with him in Havana on April 10, 2026.
This Thursday, alongside Ratcliffe's visit, political prisoner Sissi Abascal Zamora, a 27-year-old Lady in White sentenced to six years in prison for the protests of July 11, was released. She traveled to Miami with a humanitarian visa from the State Department, signaling that the regime seeks to ease U.S. pressure.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stated that Havana is considering the offer of 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid presented in writing on Wednesday by the State Department, which is contingent upon significant reforms and distribution through the Catholic Church and other independent organizations.
A CIA official warned that the window of opportunity for dialogue "will not remain open indefinitely" and that Trump will find another way to "enforce his red lines" if the talks do not progress.
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