A delegation from the United States, led by CIA director John Ratcliffe, met on Thursday with officials at Cuba's Interior Ministry in Havana, the Cuban government said in a statement published on state-controlled media.
According to the Cuban statement, the discussions centered on developing cooperation between law enforcement authorities. Both sides, the government said, "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 government also reported that it informed the U.S. delegation that Cuba does not pose a threat to U.S. national security. The release was published on state-run media and summarized the topics addressed during the meeting.
The statement appeared following an observed U.S. government aircraft leaving Havana's international airport on Thursday afternoon, a witness said. The timing of the flight came after the meetings were announced in the Cuban account of events.
President Donald Trump had said several days earlier that the two longtime adversaries were "going to talk," a remark that preceded Thursday's contacts in Havana. The Cuban government account did not provide additional operational details of the meetings or list specific agreements reached.
Context and immediate details
The public description issued by Cuban authorities stressed the bilateral interest in enhancing collaboration between law enforcement agencies and framed the discussions as relating to the security of both countries as well as broader regional and international security concerns. Beyond that characterization, the Cuban statement offered no further particulars about the substance of the talks, personnel attending beyond the named U.S. delegation leader, or any timelines for follow-up.
The departure of a U.S. government aircraft from Havana later on Thursday was reported by a witness present at the airport. The Cuban statement and the observed aircraft movement together provided the primary publicly available details of the visit.
What remains unclear
- The Cuban statement did not disclose whether concrete measures, memoranda, or operational frameworks were agreed during the encounter.
- No additional public information was provided about the duration of the delegation's stay in Havana or the full list of Cuban officials who took part in the meetings.
These limits on detail leave the precise scope of any cooperation or subsequent actions uncertain as of the time of the Cuban government release.