Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has confirmed that officials held talks with the United States, as the island grapples with a deepening economic crisis and mounting pressure from the Trump administration. According to Antigua News Room, Díaz-Canel made the disclosure in a video broadcast Friday on national television.
The Cuban president said the talks were led by himself, along with former president Raúl Castro and select members of the Communist Party. He did not specify who participated on behalf of the United States.
"There are international factors that have facilitated these talks," Díaz-Canel said, describing their purpose as identifying "the bilateral problems that need a solution." He added: "This is a very sensitive process that is being approached with responsibility and great sensitivity."
Notably, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro — nicknamed "El Cangrejo" (The Crab) and grandson of Raúl Castro — appeared seated behind Díaz-Canel during the video broadcast.
President Trump had previously stated on several occasions that Washington was holding talks with Cuban representatives. Friday's remarks from Díaz-Canel mark the first official confirmation from Havana. CNN has requested comment from both the White House and the State Department.
The talks come against a backdrop of severe hardship for ordinary Cubans. Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a US operation earlier this year, Trump moved to cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and threatened tariffs on other countries selling crude oil to the island — measures that have worsened already frequent blackouts and fuel shortages.
Last week, Trump told CNN that Cuba "is gonna fall pretty soon" and that its government wants "to make a deal so badly."
Díaz-Canel attributed the island's dire situation to what he described as an "energy blockade" imposed by the United States. "No fuel has entered the country for three months," he said, acknowledging the toll on citizens. "The impact is tremendous. It is most brutally manifested in these energy issues. This causes anguish among the population."
The president warned that the healthcare system has been especially hard hit. "Right now in the country there are tens of thousands of people waiting for surgery that cannot be performed due to the lack of electricity," he said.
