U.S. Officials Meet Cuban Figures

President Trump has stated that Cuba could be next after U.S. forces removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power. He has said "Cuba's going to be next" and spoken about taking Cuba in some form. The Trump administration has imposed a virtual oil blockade on Cuba after Maduro's ouster. U.S. officials have met with Cuban figures to press for economic and political reform.

Castro stepped down as Cuba's president in 2018 and as leader of the Communist Party in 2021. The 94-year-old remains widely viewed as one of the most powerful figures in the country. Castro was indicted in the U.S. along with five others in connection with the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

He faces charges including murder and conspiracy. Miguel Díaz-Canel has served as president of Cuba since 2018 and leads the Communist Party. His term runs until 2028. He is the first person who is not a Castro to lead the country since the 1959 revolution.

Díaz-Canel has said the purpose of talks between Cuba and the U.S. is to identify differences and possible resolutions. In response to reported U.S. threats of military action, he has said Cuba would defeat it.

Fraga was appointed deputy prime minister last October. He also serves as Cuba's minister of foreign trade and investment. Reports indicate he has been appointed to the National Assembly, which would make it legal for him to ascend to the presidency.

Pérez-Oliva Fraga announced in March that Cubans in the diaspora may now invest and own businesses in Cuba. He oversees GAESA, Cuba's military-controlled conglomerate of tourism, finance and import businesses. The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions against GAESA on May 7.

The department estimates GAESA controls 40 percent or more of Cuba's economy and may control up to $20 billion in illicit assets. Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "Raulito," is Raúl Castro's 41-year-old grandson. He serves as his grandfather's bodyguard and adviser.