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The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana on Thursday to personally deliver a message from President Donald Trump to the Cuban regime, which states that the United States is willing to discuss economic and security cooperation, but Cuba “can no longer be a safe haven for Washington's adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”
"The director Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed cooperation in intelligence, economic stability, and security matters, all within the context that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere," a CIA official noted regarding the Thursday visit of the former Texas congressman to the Caribbean capital, the newspaper pointed out, The New York Post.
Ratcliffe is the highest-ranking official of the Trump administration to set foot on Cuban soil, and his visit marks the first direct contact between officials of both countries on the island since 2016.
A CIA official specified that the topics discussed included "intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues, all under the premise that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the western hemisphere."
The official statement from the agency indicated that Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to convey that "the United States is prepared to engage seriously on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes."
The director of the CIA met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "Raulito" or "El Cangrejo," the grandson of former president Raúl Castro; along with the Minister of the Interior Lázaro Álvarez Casas and General Ramón Romero Curbelo, head of the Intelligence Directorate of the Minint.
The visit took place a day after the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, publicly acknowledged that Cuba has absolutely no fuel.
"We have absolutely no fuel oil or diesel. In Havana, power outages today exceed 20 to 22 hours," De la O Levy stated.
The energy crisis worsened following the capture in January of former president Nicolás Maduro, which halted the flow of between 25,000 and 30,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil per day to Cuba.
A single Russian shipment of approximately 730,000 barrels arrived on the island on March 31, but it was depleted by early May.
Trump himself acknowledged the gravity of the situation this Friday from Air Force One, on his way back from China. "They need help. You're talking about a country in decline; they really are a declining nation. So we'll see."
CIA sources warned the regime that "as demonstrated with Venezuela, President Donald Trump must be taken seriously," in direct reference to Maduro's fall.
The State Department simultaneously offered $100 million in direct humanitarian aid, to be distributed through the Catholic Church and other independent organizations, as well as access to high-speed satellite internet.
The spokesperson for the State Department warned that "the decision lies with the Cuban regime to accept our offer of assistance or to deny critical help to save lives and ultimately be held accountable to the Cuban people."
The Cuban government confirmed the meeting through an official statement and denied that the island hosts foreign military or intelligence bases, although Washington points to specific examples such as a Chinese espionage base operational since at least 2019 and the repeated use of Cuban ports by Russian warships.
In parallel to the diplomatic visit, federal prosecutors in Miami are moving forward with a criminal charge against former president Raúl Castro, 94 years old, for the shooting down in 1996 of two small planes belonging to the humanitarian organization Hermanos al Rescate, resulting in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The charges could also include drug trafficking and are led by the South Florida District Attorney, Jason A. Reding Quiñones.
The analyst Peter Kornbluh, co-author of a book on the secret negotiations between both countries, stated that "the significance of such a high-level delegation indicates that dialogue between Washington and Havana continues and may still yield non-violent outcomes," although he warned that "the window of opportunity will not remain open indefinitely."
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