A US State Department delegation visited Cuba on April 10 for the first time since President Barack Obama visited the island in 2016, Axios reported. During the visit, American officials held a series of meetings with senior Cuban leadership officials. It was attended, among others, by Raul Rodriguez Castro, grandson of Cuban leader Raul Castro.
The main agenda of the negotiations, as Axios learned, was to implement broad political and economic reforms, which the American side insists on. In response, the United States is ready to provide economic assistance to Cuba, including easing the trade embargo imposed for many years, as well as providing access to the Starlink satellite communications system.
At the same time, as Axios notes, US officials have warned Cuban authorities that they have “only a narrow window of opportunity” to implement reforms before the situation “deteriorates irreversibly.”
On April 17, the Wall Street Journal wrote that Raul Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro, tried to deliver a message to Donald Trump, bypassing official diplomatic channels. In the letter, according to the newspaper’s sources, Castro Jr. offered Trump economic and investment agreements in exchange for easing sanctions. The Wall Street Journal also reported that US officials were in talks with Cuban representatives, mediated by Raul Rodriguez Castro.
Since the beginning of 2026, the United States has increased its pressure on Cuba and effectively imposed a blockade on fuel supplies by sea. This led to a severe energy crisis and power outages across the island. Trump himself has repeatedly said that the Cuban government has “big problems.” The White House also said it was seeking to remove Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel from power.