30 March 2026

Cuba‘s President has said that if talks with the US government are to proceed, among the many issues that might be discussed are a closer economic relationship involving US investment in, and trade with Cuba.

In a wide-ranging interview on 25 March with Canal Red, a Spanish free-to-air television channel funded through crowdfunding, President Díaz-Canel outlined Cuba’s approach to  any negotiation, its basic conditions to take forward an agreed agenda, and Cuba’s preparations for war should the US choose to intervene.

The interview conducted by the Spanish political scientist, Pablo Iglesias, the founder of Canal Red, was rebroadcast on the Cuban television and radio programme Mesa Redonda and published in full in the official publication Cubadebate.

Observing that there had been “a lot of speculation and manipulation,” regarding initial exchanges with the US, Cuba’s President confirmed that intermediaries, which he was not willing to name, had been helping Cuba “avoid confrontation and find solutions.”

The lengthy process, he said, involved the creation of a channel for dialogue leading to  common agendas of interest and the demonstration by both sides they will “truly commit” to mutually beneficial agreements. In the past the Vatican, Norway and Canada have been trusted facilitators of dialogue between Cuba and the US.

President explains Raúl Casto’s role within Cuba’s collegiate leadership

Criticising the continuing attempts by some in and around the US Administration to spread a narrative of division within the Cuban leadership, President Díaz-Canel reaffirmed the collegiate nature of Cuba’s high-level decision-making process under the leadership of the country’s former President, Raúl Castro.  In doing so, he noted “the prestige he has among the people” and the frequent conversations they have.   

“It’s a complex situation. He’s one of those who, along with me and in collaboration with other party, government, and state bodies has been guiding how we should conduct this dialogue process …. So, under that guidance, under that collaborative leadership, which he and I spearhead and which is shared by the rest, our officials recently held talks with State Department officials to discuss our bilateral differences and find solutions,” Díaz-Canel  emphasised.

In doing so, Cuba’s President noted Cuba’s willingness “to build a civilised relationship” with the US “regardless of our ideological differences” while observing that the process was “very sensitive.”

Negotiating process still in its early stages, but possible topics identified

Addressing questions as to where the process with Washington now is in relation to any formal negotiations that might take place, Díaz-Canel told Canal Red: “that moment hasn’t arrived yet. We’ve begun the conversation to see if there’s a willingness to build an agenda for discussion and debate that could lead to negotiations …. and it’s been encouraged and facilitated by international actors.”

On the possible content of any detailed discussions, Díaz-Canel said that this would involve initially “what the bilateral differences are that we can resolve,”  but might then from Cuba’s perspective focus on several issues.

“We can talk about investments, we can talk about how the United States government can participate in the Cuban economy, but there are also migration issues, the fight against drug trafficking, against terrorism, the security of the region, environmental issues, issues of scientific collaboration, educational collaboration,” he told Canal Red. 

Co-operation, he said, could benefits both sides. “We could have rice right next door. We could have oil and fuel very close by …. and the United States could also benefit from Cuban scientific advancements. We have crucial vaccines against cancer and effective medications for other diseases,” he said.

But to reach that point, Díaz-Canel stressed, the US would have to confirm its respect for “our independence, and our political system as we would respect them.”  Such matters, he said, “are not up for discussion ….” and require reciprocity. “Our conviction,” he said, “is not to respond to manipulation” but to create spaces for understanding that “steer us away from confrontation.“

Cuba ‘ready for war’ if talks fail

 Regarding a possible confrontation with the US, Cuba’s President told Iglesias “we don’t want war, we want dialogue …. But if that space doesn’t materialise, we are ready. And I say this with the deep conviction I share with my family: that we would give our lives for the revolution.”

Observing that Cuba has a history of more than 150 years of struggle, he noted that the Cuban state is enhancing the preparedness of the entire population for defence under its military doctrine which requires “a people’s war,” in defence of sovereignty and independence. Indicating his belief “that the majority of our people” are prepared to defend the country in this way, he said that “every Cuban knows what role, what mission they have to play in the defence” of the island.

Washington rejects media leaks and efforts to derail initial exchanges

By contrast, Washington’s present position on what it requires of Cuba and the possible content of any settlement appears to be hardening as leaks, criticism from influential figures in the Cuban American community and in Congress gain traction following leaks to the media, possibly intended to undercut the initial ‘government in place’ gradual approach initially considered.

Speaking on 27 March, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told reporters that  earlier US media reports about the Trump Administration’s thinking that quoted ‘sources close to the negotiations,’ were incorrect. 

The stories appearing in various mainstream US publications suggested variously that the cost of a negotiated settlement would be the removal of President Díaz-Canel without any other structural or political change, that Raúl Castro and his family members would remain in Cuba, that an economic deal is in the offing, and that the US President’s primary interest may be in real estate.

Initially, Rubio had dismissed all such reports as “fake news and calling their sources “charlatans and liars,” while noting that Cuba’s reforms so far have not been “dramatic enough” and the country “can’t fix” its failing centralised economy.

This view was then echoed by the White House Deputy Press secretary, Anna Kelly, who noted: “Many journalists and media outlets are being deceived by anonymous ‘sources’ who claim to know what President Trump and Secretary Rubio are going to do in Cuba.” “These journalists (and their ‘sources’) have no idea what they’re talking about,” she wrote on X on 22 March.

Rubio pushes back, endorses regime change

But on 27 March, Rubio pushed back strongly. Speaking following the G7 summit in France  where the issue of Cuba was discussed, he told journalists that only he and President Trump have access to information on the matter. “I’m just warning you: All those sources that tell you about Cuba don’t know jack. They’re not in the mix. I promise you they don’t know what’s happening. They have no idea what’s going on,” Rubio said.

Asked about whether he wanted regime change he replied “yes,” before noting that Cuba’s economy needs to change but it cannot change “unless its system of government changes.”

“Who’s going to invest billions of dollars in an economy run by incompetent communists …. so their system of government is going to have to change because they will never be able to develop without those changes. Economic change is important. Giving people economic and political freedom is important but they come hand in hand, they come together,” Rubio said. 

“You need to change the people in charge, you need to change the system that runs the country and you need to change the economic model. That’s the only way forward if Cuba wants a better future. Maybe now there’s an opportunity to do it. We’ll see,” he told a group of journalists.

Rubio’s messaging now appears to be closely aligned with President Trump’s recent comment that he would have the “honour of taking over Cuba” to do “whatever he wants with it,”  and more recently when speaking at an investment forum in Miami on 27 March about the conflict in Iran, threatened: “I built this great military. I said, ‘you’ll never have to use it,’ but sometimes you have to use it, And Cuba’s next.”

Fernandez de Cossio says no political concessions

However, speaking earlier on 20 March about the possibility that Cuba’s political system and President Diaz-Canel’s position are, as suggested by the US media, the subject of discussion, Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, made clear that neither is being considered by Havana. “The political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation, and of course neither the President nor the position of any official in Cuba is subject to negotiation with the United States,” he told the NBC programme Meet the Press.

 “I can tell you …. the nature of the Cuban government, the structure of the Cuban government, and the members of the Cuban government are not part of the negotiation. That is something no sovereign country negotiates. …..” he told NBC. “Let me be clear: we are in dialogue with the United States to discuss bilateral issues. …. we are not talking about prisoners …. That is an internal matter for Cuba. It is not a bilateral issue with the United States, and the US knows that ….”

Speaking to other media outlets, Fernandez de Cossio noted that there were, however, many topics of mutual interest that could be discussed including trade, investment, regional security, cooperation in combating narcotics trafficking, secure borders, and illegal migration. He also mentioned the possibility of economic compensation for US citizens whose property was seized after the 1959 revolution as well as for Cuba in relation to the damage caused by the US embargo. In a pointed remark, he additionally noted that Havana is ready to negotiate with whomever the US government, as a sovereign nation, designates as its chief negotiator.

Scenarios for change

How President Trump’s seemingly random wishes in relation to Cuba might be delivered, let alone work in practice, remain hard to understand. A more likely scenario is that Washington is now walking a narrow domestic political tightrope, attempting to retain the political support of those Cuban Americans, Republicans, and others in the US who are seeking regime change, while continuing to place pressure on Havana, using the energy embargo as a stick to move the process forward through exploratory exchanges on the structure, subject matter and objectives of formal talks.

If this is correct, it is the most likely explanation for the sudden spate of ‘leaks’ related to the initial exchanges with Cuba that have appeared in the US mainstream media. It suggests that the reason why an annoyed Rubio described the alleged sources as “charlatans and liars,” was because the comments came from individuals in parts of the administration close to those in the Cuban American community who do not want to see any negotiated settlement, but wish to have Washington take steps that would deliver opportunity to those in South Forida who believe they should return to control the island’s future.

As reported previously, (Cuba Briefing 16 March 2026) President Trump has said that Washington intends to work on negotiations with Cuba after the military operation against Iran is completed. President Díaz-Canel is constitutionally due to demit office in April 2028.

Photo Credit: Canal Red

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQVAcHep4Qs

30 March 2026, Issue 1313

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