Mar 13, 2026, 2:16 p.mMar 13, 2026, 2:16 p.m
The economically struggling Caribbean island of Cuba has confirmed talks with the USA on the tense relationship between the two countries.
The president of the socialist country, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said this to journalists in Havana. “Cuban representatives recently held talks with representatives of the US government to seek through dialogue a possible solution to the bilateral differences that exist between the two countries,” he said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Image: keystone
According to the party publication Granma, Díaz-Canel had previously explained in a Politburo meeting that the talks were intended to identify problems between the two countries, seek solutions and find areas of cooperation.
“In the context of the previous discussions, the Cuban side has expressed the will to conduct this process on the basis of equality and respect for the political systems of both states, the sovereignty and the self-determination of our governments,” Cuba’s President emphasized, according to “Granma”.
Difficult relations since the 1959 revolution under Fidel Castro
Relations between Havana and Washington have been strained since the socialist revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. Under US President Donald Trump, Washington has recently exerted increased pressure – not least after the spectacular US coup in which Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro was arrested in the capital Caracas in January and flown to the US. This meant that one of Cuba’s most important supporters – above all through oil deliveries – disappeared. (dab/sda/dpa)