The visit of the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, to Havana this Thursday generated a wave of reactions among Cubans, who predominantly expressed skepticism, frustration, and distrust.
The Cuban government confirmed the meeting through an official statement in which it noted that "the Leadership of the Revolution approved the conduct of this visit and the meeting with its counterpart from the Ministry of the Interior," held "in order to contribute to the political dialogue between both nations."
The news was reported upon detecting the landing of the flight SAM554, a Boeing C-40B Clipper arriving from Andrews Base, a designation reserved for high-level transfers of the U.S. government.
According to CIA sources cited by Axios, Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and grandson of Raúl Castro, along with Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and intelligence chief Ramón Romero Curbelo.
The central message that Ratcliffe conveyed on behalf of Trump was that the United States is willing to engage on economic and security issues, "but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes," including ceasing to be a haven for Washington's adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
A high-ranking official from the Trump administration was emphatic in describing the regime's situation: "They have no fuel. They have no money. They have no one coming to rescue them. The regime has been stubborn since 1959, but even they realize it's time for a change."
The reaction of Cubans on social media was immediate and mostly skeptical.
"Who would have thought that the head of the CIA would step foot in Cuba to engage in dialogue?" wrote a user, capturing the widespread surprise at a meeting that would have been unthinkable just months ago.
Other comments reflected deep distrust towards the regime: "A lot of dialogue and zero solutions. The people continue to suffer from hunger," "The U.S. shows laziness and the dictatorship buys time," and "This looks like an ultimatum."
The phrase that encapsulated the feelings of many was straightforward: "The people must fight for their freedom."
There were those who pointed out the historical irony of the meeting: "Wasn't the CIA the enemy?" asked a commentator, referring to decades of official propaganda that portrayed the agency as the main threat to the Revolution.
Others pointed to the devastating internal situation as a backdrop: "The CIA director was horrified to see Havana destroyed without a war" and "Everything is very nice, but we still have no electricity."
The visit occurred while Cuba was breaking historical records for power outages, experiencing blackouts of up to 20 hours a day and an electricity availability of only 636 megawatts compared to a demand of 2,420 megawatts.
On that same Thursday, Sissi Abascal Zamora, a 27-year-old Lady in White, who was sentenced to six years for the protests of July 11, traveled to Miami with a humanitarian visa from the Department of State.
Some users expressed cautious hope: "I hope they've talked about political prisoners" and "If it's true, something big is happening."
A CIA official warned, according to Axios, that the window of opportunity for dialogue "will not remain open indefinitely," a sign that Washington is not willing to wait indefinitely for a response from the regime.
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