Defense

Ratcliffe meets with Cuban officials as CIA warns negotiation window ‘will not stay open indefinitely’

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by Rebecca Beitsch - 05/14/26 7:49 PM ET

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by Rebecca Beitsch - 05/14/26 7:49 PM ET

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a trip to Cuba Thursday to meet with officials amid negotiations that have followed President Trump’s public musings that he may invade the island nation.

A CIA official also stressed Thursday that the window for negotiations may have a timeline, adding that “the Cubans should have no illusions that the president will not enforce redlines.”

The CIA said Ratcliffe traveled to “personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”

“During the meeting, Director Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues, all against the backdrop that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere,” the CIA said, a nod to China and Russia.

The Cuban government announced the meeting earlier, saying it came “following a request submitted by the U.S. government.”

For its part, Cuba sought to assure the U.S. that it is not a threat.

“The information presented by the Cuban side, along with the exchanges held with the U.S. delegation, served to categorically demonstrate that Cuba poses no threat to U.S. national security, nor are there any legitimate grounds for including it on the list of countries alleged to sponsor terrorism,” the Cuban government said in a statement in Spanish.

Ratcliffe met with Minister of the Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas, and the head of Cuban intelligence services, as well as Raulito Rodriguez Castro, the grandson and bodyguard of Raúl Castro, president of Cuba after succeeding his brother Fidel Castro.

Raulito Castro has played a unique role in negotiations between the two countries, as he holds no government or communist party title.

A CIA official suggested Thursday that the U.S. may have limited patience as negotiations stretch past their second month.

In a nod to a $100 million aid package publicized by the State Department on Wednesday, the official called the discussion “a rare chance to stabilize its failing economy and deliver for its people—but the window of opportunity will not stay open indefinitely.”

“As evidenced by Venezuela—President Trump must be taken seriously,” the official said.

“While the Director emphasized that President Trump prefers dialogue, the Cubans should have no illusions that the President will not enforce redlines,” they said, adding later, “The Cuban government must decide whether to seize this moment or continue down an unsustainable path that only leads to deeper isolation and instability.”

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