Cuba breaks silence: there was secret dialogue with Washington
President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed what many suspected: Cuba and the United States have been talking. In the midst of an energy crisis that has the island on the verge of collapse, the Cuban president admitted this Friday that there were conversations “to seek solutions through dialogue.”
But he did not give details. He only mentioned “international factors” that facilitated these exchanges. An information gap that others immediately began to fill.
The secret meeting in the Caribbean
Two US officials revealed to the AP what really happened: Marco Rubio, the hard-line senator towards Cuba, met secretly with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. Yes, Raúl Castro’s grandson.
“Rubio met secretly with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro on the sidelines of a meeting of CARICOM leaders”
The meeting was in February, during a Caribbean summit in Saint Kitts and Nevis. At the time, Rubio declined to say who he was speaking to. Now we know.
The White House, for its part, noted that the discussions seek to “press important changes” in Cuba. Trump has been clear: Cuban leaders would do well to avoid the fate of Nicolás Maduro.
The real crisis: no light, no water, no hope
While diplomacy advances in secret, Cubans face a brutal reality. Díaz-Canel admitted it bluntly:
“The impact is tremendous”
Three months without oil shipments. Paralyzed thermoelectric plants. Surgeries postponed for “tens of miles of people.” Transportation, communications, education—all affected.
“The Cuban is desperate,” says Elvis Hernández, 62 years old. “Without light, without water, you cannot live.”
The temporary solution has been surreal: more than 115 bakeries converted to run on firewood or coal. A throwback to another century.
And now what?
The US State Department is considering reducing staff at its embassy in Havana because… there is not enough fuel to operate. Ironic: the blockade affects even those who implement it.
Brian Fonseca, an expert at Florida International University, warns:
“Diplomatic staff are your eyes and ears on the ground. A degradation scenario could complicate the United States’ understanding of what is happening”
Meanwhile, Trump continues to send public messages: Cuba is “on the edge” and expects a “big change.” Díaz-Canel responds by seeking areas of cooperation to “guarantee security and peace.”
Cubans like Miguel García only want concrete results: “If agreements are reached that improve our situation, the better.”
The real question is whether these secret talks are a prelude to real change or just another chapter in six decades of tensions. With Cuba on the brink of energy collapse and Washington pushing for drastic changes, time is running out for both.
