CIA Director John Ratcliffe visits Cuba to urge big security changes
Josh MeyerWASHINGTON − A U.S. delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met May 14 with top Cuban officials to deliver a message from President Donald Trump that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes − including a promise to no longer be a safe haven for U.S. adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
Ratcliffe's visit was confirmed by two CIA officials speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the visit by name.
Ratcliffe's meeting with Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Minister of Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence service came as Cuban humanitarian groups posted video of a political prisoner being released amid pressure from the United States and high stakes diplomatic negotiations.
The meeting also came as tensions increased over the Trump administration blockade that in recent months has starved the Caribbean island of fuel and the ability to generate power.
Trump has been putting pressure on the longtime U.S. adversary since returning to the White House in January 2025.
Cuba's representatives in the meeting emphasized that Havana does not pose a threat to U.S. national security, the Cuban government said.
"Both sides also underscored their interest in developing bilateral cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the interest of the security of both countries, as well as regional and international security," the Cuban statement said.
The White House referred a request for comment from USA TODAY to the CIA.
Rare but not unprecedented meeting of intelligence rivals
Brian Latell, a former top CIA Cuba analyst and National Intelligence Officer for Latin America, told USA TODAY that Ratcliffe’s meeting with Cuban counterparts is rare – but not unprecedented.
President Barack Obama’s CIA director, John Brennan, visited the island and met with his intelligence counterparts, “but nothing came of it,” said Latell, citing Brennan’s memoirs.
Given the immense pressure on Cuba, and the U.S. snatch and grab of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Ratcliffe’s meeting could have a more positive outcome, Latell said.
“Cuba doesn’t have a lot of close allies anymore,” especially after Maduro was captured in January and taken to the United States to face trial, said Latell, the author of “Castro’s Secrets,” a book on Cuban intelligence.
But Latell stressed that Ratcliffe’s meeting with the Cubans might just be incremental. “There’s so much negative history and baggage between the two countries going back to the Bay of Pigs that if anything comes of this, it will only be a small first step,” he said.
Conveying a personal message from Trump
One of the CIA officials told USA TODAY that Ratcliffe went to Havana to personally initiate substantive discussions about the essential steps the Cuban regime must take to build a productive relationship with the United States − and to stabilize its failing economy.
The group discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues, the official said.
Central to the U.S. concerns is that Cuba has, in the past, served as a platform for American adversaries to advance hostile agendas in the Western hemisphere. Ratcliffe said that can no longer be the case.
A second CIA official said that while the visit by a top U.S. intelligence official to Cuba was extremely rare, the official did not know if it was a first.
During the talks, Ratcliffe emphasized that the U.S. is extending what it believes is a genuine opportunity for collaboration with Cuba, and − as evidenced by recent U.S. action in Venezuela − that Trump must be taken seriously.
A dire energy crisis - and opportunity - for Cuba
Officials from both countries have acknowledged in recent months they were in talks to break the political impasse. But talks appeared to founder amid the ongoing U.S. fuel blockade.
On May 12, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he considered Cuba a threat to the nation's national security in testimony before a Congressional panel.
The diplomatic talks came a day after the State Department put in writing a $100 million offer for humanitarian aid to be distributed by the Catholic Church and other aid groups.
Early on May 14, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, said the nation was considering the offer and called for de-escalation as the country handled an increasingly dire energy crisis caused by the blockade of fuel.
The night before Ratcliffe's talks with Cuban counterparts, widespread protests erupted as rolling blackouts in parts of Havana lasted 24 hours or more, threatening to spoil frozen food reserves and making sleep all but impossible for many residents, Reuters reported.
This story has been updated with new information.
Contributing: Reuters