The CIA director visited Cuba during the island's energy crisis. What the media is writing
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- The CIA director visited Cuba during the island's energy crisis. What the media is writing
The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, paid a visit to Cuba and met with its leadership. This happened at the height of the island's energy crisis and shortly after Washington's offer of humanitarian aid in exchange for reforms. At the same time, the US Department of Justice is going to bring charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro. What the media write about the interaction between the two countries is in the Izvestia digest.
The New York Times: CIA Director visits Cuba
CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on May 14, the day after Havana admitted that its fuel oil reserves for consumers and businesses had been depleted. According to American officials, Ratcliffe's visit was intended to warn the government about the need for economic changes and to stop providing Russia and China with access to intelligence posts in Cuba. Ratcliffe became the highest-ranking official of the Donald Trump administration to visit Cuba.
The New York Times
The CIA said in a statement that Ratcliffe arrived in Havana to personally convey President Trump's message that "the United States is ready to seriously address economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes." According to a CIA official, Ratcliffe met with Raul Rodriguez Castro, the influential grandson of former President Raul Castro. Ratcliffe also met with Lazaro Alvarez Casas, the interior minister, as well as the head of the Cuban intelligence services.
The Cuban government said the United States had requested a meeting on May 14. Cuban officials stressed that their country does not pose a threat to the national security of the United States and should not be included in the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Trump administration has not explicitly stated what political or economic changes it wants to see in Cuba, but the overall goal appears to be to end the Communist Party's monopoly on political and economic control.
Reuters: The United States plans to indict Raul Castro
The United States plans to indict Raul Castro, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice said on May 14. The timing of the potential indictment, which must be approved by a grand jury, is not yet clear, but according to the official, it is likely to happen soon.
Reuters
The potential indictment against the 94-year-old former Cuban president and Fidel's brother is expected to focus on the downing of the planes, according to the official, who asked to remain anonymous. Earlier, CBS reported that this case was connected with the deadly shooting down of planes belonging to the Brothers for Help humanitarian organization by Cuba in 1996.
The Trump administration has called Cuba's current communist government corrupt and incompetent and is seeking to replace it. The latest move comes amid Trump's increasing pressure on Cuba, which has effectively imposed a blockade on the island, threatening sanctions on fuel-supplying countries, causing power outages and hitting its economy. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida is overseeing an investigation into potential criminal charges against senior Cuban government officials.
France 24: The United States renews its offer of $100 million in aid to Cuba
The United States has renewed its offer of $100 million in aid to Cuba, putting pressure on its longtime rival to cooperate amid the economic crisis. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Rome last week, said that Cuba had rejected the offer of assistance, which was denied by the communist government in Havana. On May 13, Washington publicly renewed this proposal, which came after the United States imposed new sanctions against key sectors of Cuba's state-owned economy.
France 24
"The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assistance to the Cuban people, who are in dire need of it due to the failures of the corrupt Cuban regime," the State Department said in a statement. "The decision on whether to accept our offer of assistance or to withhold vital assistance and ultimately be held accountable to the Cuban people for obstructing its provision lies with the Cuban regime," the statement said.
The statement said the support would include direct humanitarian aid from the United States and funding for "fast and free" internet access. It also reported that the United States is working to promote "meaningful reforms" in Cuba. The island's electricity supply has dropped to a record low, with prolonged power outages and record production shortages in recent days. On May 12, 65% of Cuba's territory was without electricity at the same time.
Al Jazeera: Cuba's president is open to American help
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has said that Havana will accept humanitarian aid from the United States if it is delivered in accordance with internationally recognized practice. However, he added that if the goal really was to alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people, it would be better for the United States to lift the trade embargo on the island.
Al Jazeera
"If the U.S. government is truly ready to provide assistance in the amounts it has announced and in full compliance with universally recognized humanitarian norms, it will not face obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba," Diaz-Canel wrote. However, the offer of assistance was accompanied by the condition that the Cuban Government would carry out "meaningful reforms." Diaz-Canel called the proposal paradoxical, given, in his words, the "systematic and ruthless" punishment imposed by the U.S. government on the Cuban people.
Since the 1960s, Cuba has been under a comprehensive trade embargo by the United States, one of its closest neighbors. The island is located just 150 km from the coast of the USA. However, since Trump took office for a second term in 2025, U.S. pressure on the Cuban government has increased. In January, Trump first cut cash and fuel flows from Venezuela to Cuba. He then threatened to impose high tariffs on any country supplying oil to Havana, effectively imposing a fuel blockade on the island.
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