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An official from the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) publicly defended Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro -known as El Cangrejo- and confirmed that Raúl Castro's grandson serves as the official negotiator of the regime before Washington by mandate of "the highest leadership of the country."
Elier Ramírez Cañedo, also a deputy in the National Assembly, published a post on Facebook in which he labeled the criticisms directed at him as "manipulations and lies" and "sensationalist journalism," while also openly acknowledging the existence of secret communication channels between Havana and successive U.S. administrations.
Ramírez Cañedo's intervention represents the first explicit defense of the regime's ideological apparatus regarding the role of El Cangrejo, a colonel from the Ministry of Interior without any elected government position who, as confirmed now by the PCC itself, is negotiating Cuba's future with the White House.
"The manipulations and lies, the yellow journalism surrounding Raúl Guillermo, as the interlocutor on the Cuban side by decision of the highest leadership of the country, respond to that objective," wrote Ramírez Cañedo, referring to what he described as a "media operation from the United States" with "character assassination" aimed at fracturing the Cuban leadership.
The official also accused the Trump administration of being "unserious and discreet during the process, causing leaks that put it at risk and create uncertainty about its true intentions."
To top it off, he boasted about the "unbreakable" unity of the revolution, which he claimed expresses the connection between the historic generation and the new leadership.
The post by Ramírez Cañedo was supported by Abel Prieto, a historical figure of Castroism, who shared it with the comment: "Thank you, Elier, for that precise and necessary text. Today, more than ever, it is essential to preserve unity and avoid falling into the traps set by our enemies. They shall not pass!"
The official defense confirms what the trajectory of El Cangrejo has already made evident: that real power in Cuba does not reside with Miguel Díaz-Canel -who Rodríguez Castro referred to as "Miguelito" in his interview with USA Today- but rather in the family circle of Raúl Castro and in GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls between 50% and 80% of the Cuban economy, inherited by El Cangrejo from his father, the late general Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja.
The post arrives days after El Cangrejo declared to USA Today his willingness to negotiate directly with Trump the future of the Island, triggering a wave of outrage both inside and outside of Cuba.
The controversy was further fueled by the contrast between El Cangrejo's luxurious lifestyle - Rolex watch, Hermès sneakers, Salvatore Ferragamo briefcase - and the reality of Cubans, who survive on monthly salaries of between 10 and 15 dollars and endure power outages of more than 30 consecutive hours.
The outrage spread even among figures close to the regime: singer-songwriter Israel Rojas publicly apologized for being "naive" for not believing the allegations about the privileges of the elite for years, and the mother of the head of Communication at the Palace of the Revolution posted on Facebook: "Could someone bring this young man down to earth? Could someone tell him to be quiet?".
Israel Rojas questioned the role of El Cangrejo, joining a week of criticism that the Party apparatus is now attempting to frame as an external conspiracy, as Cuba faces its seventh total blackout in 18 months and an economic contraction projected at -6.5% for 2026.
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