Cuba Confirms Recent Talks with US Officials Amid Ongoing Tensions

A senior Cuban diplomat confirmed on April 20 that a meeting took place between delegations from Cuba and the United States in Havana. Alejandro Garcia, the foreign ministry's under-director for Cuba-US affairs, stated in an interview with the newspaper Granma that the negotiators included assistant secretaries from the US State Department and Cuba's deputy foreign minister.

Garcia described the exchange as respectful and professional. According to a report by the US news outlet Axios on April 17, US officials held multiple meetings in Havana on April 10 with Cuban officials. The report stated that US negotiators presented conditions for continued negotiations, such as the release of political prisoners, citing a State Department official.

Garcia denied these details, stating that neither side set deadlines or made threatening statements.

Garcia emphasized that ending the US oil blockade, in place for three months, was a top priority for Cuba in the talks. He accused Washington of threatening countries that export oil to Cuba with tariffs. The oil blockade has aggravated the country's worst economic and energy crisis in decades, leading to warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

On April 18, leaders from Mexico, Spain, and Brazil expressed concern about the situation in Cuba and called for sincere and respectful dialogue. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on April 20 that there is no evident justification for the US to attack Cuba.

He noted that the right to self-defense does not extend to military intervention in other states based on differing political systems. The confirmation of talks came shortly after a ceremony on April 16 in Havana marking the 65th anniversary of Fidel Castro's 1961 declaration of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, attended by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and government officials.