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

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Politics CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro's grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say May 15, 20261:50 AM ET By The Associated Press FILE - CIA Director John Ratcliffe, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, April 6, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP hide caption toggle caption Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP HAVANA — CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raúl Castro's grandson during a high-level visit to the island Thursday, Cuban and U. Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues.

A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP. Ratcliffe was there "to personally deliver President Donald Trump's message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,'' the CIA official said. Sponsor Message An official statement from Cuba's government noted that Thursday's meeting "took place ...

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against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations. stressed that Cuba cannot continue to be a "safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere," the Cuban delegation insisted that the island presents no threat to U. Cuban officials also took issue with the nation's continued inclusion on the U.

list of state sponsors of terrorism. Rodríguez Castro previously secretly met with U. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community summit in St.

While he's never occupied a government post, he served as his grandfather's bodyguard and later as head of Cuba's equivalent of the Secret Service. and Cuban officials also met earlier this year in Cuba. The ongoing meetings between U.

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and Cuban officials mark the first U. government flights to land in Cuba other than at the U. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Thursday's meeting comes weeks after the Cuban government confirmed that it had recently met with U. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U. energy blockade of the Caribbean country and as Cuba's power grid has collapsed and energy to its eastern provinces has been cut.

blockade of fuel to the island has heightened its economic woes, with reduced work hours and food spoilage as refrigerators stop working. Sponsor Message Earlier this week, the U. State Department reiterated that the U.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.