The Cuban and U.S. military commands held a rare high-level military meeting near the Guantanamo Bay naval base, in an unprecedented move aimed at discussing issues of "operational security" and borders, amid escalating political and security tensions between the two countries.
On the U.S. side, Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of the Southern Military Command and the highest-ranking official overseeing U.S. forces in Latin America, participated in the meeting.
The Cuban side was represented by the Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Staff, General Roberto Legra Sotolongo.
The extraordinary meeting lasted about two hours, and the two parties evaluated its outcomes positively, with an agreement to keep communication channels open during the next stage.
Tension Background... Siege, accusations and political escalation
The meeting came amid a suffocating energy crisis in Cuba as a result of a practical U.S. naval blockade and tightening sanctions on oil tankers heading to the island, which led to severe fuel shortages and widespread power outages.
In the midst of the crisis, Havana and Washington traded accusations, with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal warning of a growing risk of "U.S. military aggression," while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his country's concern about "exploitation by foreign powers" of Cuba's location near the U.S. coast.
This coincided with a significant judicial escalation, after the United States indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro with four murders in connection with the downing of a civilian airliner in 1996, which increased political tension between the two countries.
In a related context, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, in an exclusive statement to the "Prensa Latina" agency, refuted the news and accusations against his country, stressing that Cuba "has never been and will never be an extraordinary or exceptional threat to the national security of the United States."
These military moves and contacts follow statements by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Higgseth, on May 12, before Congress, in which he implicitly referred to Cuba, saying, "We have long been concerned that the use of a foreign enemy by a location too close to our coast is very problematic."
CIA Director Conveys Trump's Demands to Castro's Grandson
The military meeting was preceded by a sensitive meeting by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Havana, where diplomatic sources revealed an unannounced visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to the Cuban capital, Havana, during which he met with senior officials, including Raul Castro's grandson and Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez.
The sources said that the visit took place on Thursday, May 14, 2026, and carried a direct message from the Trump administration with the main title "Radical changes in exchange for the easing of the economic embargo."
During the talks, Ratcliffe put forward tough U.S. conditions, including the immediate release of political prisoners, a timetable for free elections under international supervision, the dismantling of security alliances with Russia, China and Venezuela, and the closure of any "espionage" facilities belonging to these countries on the island, the diplomatic sources said.
The CIA director confirmed that the US reward is to lift the energy embargo imposed for 2026 and allow the flow of oil and humanitarian aid worth $100 million, if Havana complies with US conditions, according to the sources.
On the diplomatic track, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the channels of dialogue open with Cuba since last March are "going well", while his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodríguez stressed that his country "has not and will not pose any threat to US national security".