Miguel Díaz-Canel has said Cuban officials held talks with the United States as the island grapples with a deepening economic crisis and mounting pressure from Donald Trump.
The Cuban president revealed that the discussions were led by him alongside former president Raúl Castro and several members of the ruling Communist Party.
However, he did not disclose the officials who represented Washington during the talks.
“There are international factors that have facilitated these talks,” Díaz-Canel said in a video broadcast on national television on Friday, explaining that the discussions were aimed at “identify the bilateral problems that need a solution.”
In the footage, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro — known as “El Cangrejo” (The Crab) and grandson of Raúl Castro — was seen seated behind the Cuban president.
Although Trump has previously claimed that Washington was engaging Cuban representatives, this marks the first time Havana has publicly confirmed such talks.
CNN said it has contacted the White House and the State Department for comment.
Díaz-Canel described the process as delicate, stating, “This is a very sensitive process that is being approached with responsibility and great sensitivity.”
The talks come amid rising tensions after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a US operation earlier this year.
Following the incident, the Trump administration halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and warned it could impose tariffs on countries supplying crude oil to the island.
The move has worsened fuel shortages and frequent blackouts across the country.
Last week, Trump told CNN that Cuba “is gonna fall pretty soon” and suggested the government in Havana was eager to reach an agreement with Washington.
Díaz-Canel, however, blamed the country’s worsening crisis on what he described as a US “energy blockade.”
“It is a situation for which we have been preparing in advance,” he said, while stressing that “no fuel has entered the country for three months.”
“The impact (of the blockade) is tremendous. It is most brutally manifested in these energy issues,” the president added. “This causes anguish among the population.”
He also noted that the healthcare sector has been heavily affected by the power shortages.
“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.
