00:00CIA chief met with Castro's grandson in Havana as U.S. pressure on Cuba intensifies.
00:07Havana, Washington
00:08CIA director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba last week for a rare high-level meeting with Cuban officials,
00:16including Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban president Raul Castro,
00:22amid escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.
00:26Ratcliffe delivers Trump's message.
00:28The meeting, which took place on May 14th, was publicly disclosed by both sides,
00:33an unusual departure from standard practice when the head of the CIA travels abroad.
00:39According to a CIA official, Ratcliffe was there to personally deliver President Donald Trump's message
00:44that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues,
00:49but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.
00:53Ratcliffe met with Rodriguez Castro, Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas,
00:58and the head of Cuban intelligence services, discussing intelligence cooperation,
01:02economic stability, and security issues.
01:05The Cuban government confirmed the visit took place against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.
01:12Rodriguez Castro, 41, previously met secretly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
01:17on the sidelines of a Caribbean community summit in St. Kitts in February.
01:22While he has never held a government post, he served as his grandfather's bodyguard,
01:26and later as head of Cuba's equivalent of the Secret Service.
01:30Observers describe him as a potential heir to the Castro political dynasty.
01:35Cuba denies threat to U.S.
01:38Following the talks, Cuba issued a statement asserting that the discussions demonstrated
01:42Cuba does not constitute a threat to the national security of the U.S.,
01:46nor are there legitimate reasons to include it on the list of countries that, allegedly, sponsor terrorism.
01:52Cuban officials reiterated their long-standing opposition to terrorism,
01:57stating the country does not harbor, support, finance, or allow terrorist or extremist organizations.
02:03The Cuban government emphasized it has no foreign military or intelligence bases on its territory
02:09and has never supported hostile actions against the United States.
02:13Both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation between law enforcement agencies
02:17on matters of national, regional, and international security.
02:22Drone acquisition reports surface.
02:25The meeting came amid reports that Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran
02:31and has discussed potential attack scenarios involving U.S. targets,
02:35including the naval base at Guantanamo Bay and Key West, Florida, just 90 miles north of Havana.
02:41A senior U.S. official told Axios,
02:43When we think about those types of technologies being that close and a range of bad actors,
02:50from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it's concerning.
02:55However, U.S. intelligence assessments indicate they do not currently consider Cuban preparations
03:01to be for an imminent attack.
03:03The drone arsenal is believed to be a retaliatory contingency capability,
03:07rather than preparation for a Cuban first strike.
03:11Cuba's embassy responded to the reports, stating,
03:14Like any country, Cuba has the right to defend itself against external aggression.
03:19It is called self-defense, and it is protected by international law and the U.N. charter.
03:25Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has denied that Cuba poses a military threat to the United States,
03:30but warned that any U.S. assault on the island would lead to a bloodbath.
03:34U.S. intelligence assessing Cuban response.
03:38CBS News reported that the U.S. intelligence community has been analyzing how Cuba might respond
03:44to potential American military action.
03:47According to two U.S. officials,
03:49analysts at the Pentagon and the Defense Intelligence Agency began assessing possible Cuban reactions
03:54earlier this month, and work has also begun on developing military options for President Trump.
04:00Such intelligence assessments are commonly used by U.S. military planners
04:04to evaluate not only immediate consequences,
04:07but also the broader chain of political and military responses that could follow.
04:11Trump downplays escalation.
04:14Asked on May 20th whether further escalation with Cuba was likely,
04:18Trump told reporters,
04:19No, there won't be escalation.
04:21I don't think there needs to be.
04:23However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a more cautious tone on May 21st,
04:28stating that a negotiated diplomatic settlement with Cuba was unlikely.
04:32The President's preference is always a negotiated agreement, Rubio said.
04:37I'm just being honest with you.
04:38The likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, it's not high.
04:44Rubio described Cuba as
04:46one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism for the entire region,
04:50citing the presence of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian intelligence and weapons on the island.
04:56When asked whether the U.S. was planning military action,
05:00Rubio said Trump has, not just has the right,
05:02he has the obligation to address threats to national security.
05:07The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its escort warships have entered the Caribbean,
05:12though Trump said the deployment was not intended to intimidate Cuba.
05:17Indictment of Raul Castro
05:20The CIA visit came just days before the U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges
05:26on May 20th against former Cuban President Raul Castro, 94,
05:30for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based exile group
05:36Brothers to the Rescue, which killed four men, including three U.S. citizens.
05:41The indictment includes charges of murder, conspiracy to kill Americans,
05:45and destruction of aircraft.
05:47Cuban authorities called on citizens to protest the despicable indictment,
05:52with the official newspaper Granma urging Cubans to gather outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
05:59Thousands attended a rally on Friday.
06:01The Cuban government maintains the 1996 shootdown was legitimate self-defense against an airspace violation.
06:09Cuba's Economic Crisis and Humanitarian Situation
06:13The island is experiencing a severe economic crisis,
06:17with the U.S. having imposed an effective energy blockade following the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,
06:24Cuba's main regional ally and a primary source of subsidized oil.
06:28Cuba once relied on Venezuela for nearly half its fuel needs.
06:32Cubans now suffer power outages of up to 20 hours daily,
06:36tap water shortages,
06:38and runaway inflation that has caused basic goods prices to soar.
06:42Piles of trash have accumulated on Havana streets.
06:45The U.S. has reportedly offered $100 million in humanitarian assistance,
06:51though acceptance is contingent on reforms.
06:54International Reaction
06:56China and Russia have both criticized the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Cuba.
07:02Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called on Washington to stop brandishing the sanction stick
07:09and the judicial stick against Cuba and stop threatening force at every turn.
07:14Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated,
07:17We believe that under no circumstances should such methods, which border on violence,
07:23be used against either former or current heads of state.
07:26Intermediate
07:26Weekend
07:26DodgersMuslaimed
07:26News News
07:27Newsrim
Comments