CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro's grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say - BERITAJA

FILE - CIA Director John Ratcliffe, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks pinch reporters successful the James Brady Press Briefing Room astatine the White House successful Washington, April 6, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

HAVANA — CIA Director John Ratcliffe met pinch Cuban officials including Raúl Castro's grandson during a high-level sojourn to the land Thursday, Cuban and U.S. officials said.

Ratcliffe met pinch Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the caput of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economical stableness and information issues. A CIA charismatic confirmed the meetings to the AP.

Ratcliffe was location "to personally present President Donald Trump's connection that the United States is prepared to earnestly prosecute connected economical and information issues, but only if Cuba makes basal changes,'' the CIA charismatic said.

An charismatic connection from Cuba's authorities noted that Thursday's gathering "took spot ... against a backdrop of analyzable bilateral relations."

While the U.S. stressed that Cuba cannot proceed to beryllium a "safe haven for adversaries successful the Western Hemisphere," the Cuban delegation insisted that the land presents nary threat to U.S. security. Cuban officials besides took rumor pinch the nation's continued inclusion connected the U.S. database of authorities sponsors of terrorism.

Rodríguez Castro antecedently secretly met pinch U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected the sidelines of a Caribbean Community acme successful St. Kitts successful February. While he's ne'er occupied a authorities post, he served arsenic his grandfather's bodyguard and later arsenic caput of Cuba's balanced of the Secret Service.

U.S. and Cuban officials besides met earlier this twelvemonth successful Cuba. The ongoing meetings betwixt U.S. and Cuban officials people the first U.S. authorities flights to onshore successful Cuba different than astatine the U.S. Naval Base astatine Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Thursday's gathering comes weeks aft the Cuban authorities confirmed that it had precocious met pinch U.S. officials connected the land arsenic tensions betwixt the 2 sides stay precocious complete the U.S. power blockade of the Caribbean state and arsenic Cuba's powerfulness grid has collapsed and power to its eastbound provinces has been cut. The U.S. blockade of substance to the land has heightened its economical woes, pinch reduced activity hours and nutrient spoilage arsenic refrigerators extremity working.

Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department reiterated that the U.S. will supply Cuba pinch $100 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance and support for outer net "if the Cuban authorities will licence it."

In precocious January, Trump threatened tariffs connected immoderate state that sells aliases supplies lipid to Cuba. Though Trump besides has threatened to intervene successful the country, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said precocious that his state was prepared to conflict if that should happen, sources told the AP earlier this period that subject action is not imminent.