John Ratcliffe reportedly said the US president expects “fundamental changes” from Cuba
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has paid a rare visit to Havana to deliver a message from US President Donald Trump to the Cuban leadership amid a US-imposed fuel blockade of the island.
According to Reuters, it was the first time a CIA chief had visited Cuba since the Communist Revolution in the 1950s.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry disclosed the previously unannounced trip on Thursday. The CIA later acknowledged the visit by posting photos on X showing Ratcliffe meeting officials in Havana.
Ratcliffe delivered “Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,” an unnamed CIA official told Reuters.
The official added that the sides discussed “intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues, all against the backdrop that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”
The US imposed a blockade on oil shipments to Cuba in January, causing widespread fuel shortages and blackouts. Since then, only a single Russian tanker has delivered oil to the island, arriving in March. Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy warned on Thursday that the country’s fuel reserves had now been exhausted.
The US has demanded that Cuba cut ties with Russia, China, Iran, and pro-Palestinian armed groups. Last month, a US delegation visiting Havana reportedly urged Cuba to transition from socialism to a market-based economy and open the country to foreign investment.
Cuba has said that, despite the economic hardship, its military is prepared to resist any potential invasion. President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday that Cuba was willing to consider a US State Department proposal for $100 million in humanitarian aid.
He described the offer as “inconsistent and paradoxical,” adding that the blockade amounted to “collective punishment imposed systematically and ruthlessly” on the Cuban people.
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