CIA chief visits Cuba as energy crisis worsens
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Paul Gribben and Tom McArthur CIA director John Ratcliffe has met his Cuban counterpart at the interior ministry in Havana, after the US renew
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Paul Gribben and Tom McArthur CIA director John Ratcliffe has met his Cuban counterpart at the interior ministry in Havana, after the US renewed an offer of $100m (£74m) of aid to ease the effects of its oil blockade. A Cuban statement said the meeting was an attempt to improve dialogue and American officials were told Havana was not a threat to US national se
Key points
- A CIA official told BBC's US partner, CBS News, that the US is "prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes".
- Fuel shortages exacerbated by the US oil blockade on the country have left hospitals unable to function normally and forced schools and government offices to close.
- Separately, Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said that instead of offering aid, conditions could be eased faster if the US lifted its blockade.
- Attending the meeting was Raúl Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former President Raúl Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas, and the head of Cuba's intelligence services, the CIA official…
- The delegation met "to personally deliver President Trump's message", the CIA official said.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by BBC World.