The United States government confirmed today that it is holding talks with Cuban authorities, but asserted that Havana has so far refused to accept proposals that could improve the situation of Cubans because it would pose a threat to the regime’s political control.
“In reality, talks are ongoing and the regime has so far been unwilling to accept anything that would help the Cuban people and ultimately threaten its total control,” the State Department Press Office told Martí Noticias.
Washington did not offer details about who is participating in these contacts, what specific proposals Havana has rejected, or what stage the talks are at.
The State Department also did not rule out any alternative within the Trump Administration’s strategy toward the island.
“As President Trump has said, Cuba is a failed state that has been terribly mismanaged for many years,” the Press Office noted, attributing the Cuban crisis to the dictatorship’s “blatant kleptocracy and economic mismanagement.”
The State Department also linked its policy toward Havana to national security concerns and accused the regime of attempting to undermine U.S. interests through espionage activities. “The Trump Administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to address the threats posed by a regime 90 miles from our shores,” it stated.
The US administration added that it will continue to consider “all options” that could promote economic and political reforms in Cuba and allow Cubans to have a better future.
Washington’s statements come days after Cuba’s chargé d’affaires in the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, acknowledged to Reuters that both governments maintain communication channels that include meetings, phone calls and WhatsApp messages, although she denied that there are any formal negotiations.
The State Department called that version “propaganda”.
The US confirmation also comes amid an offensive of economic and political pressure against Havana that the Trump Administration has intensified during 2026.
On May 1, President Trump signed Executive Order 14404, which expanded the sanctions framework against individuals and entities linked to strategic sectors of the Cuban economy, including energy, defense, mining, financial services and security, as well as against those responsible for serious human rights abuses or corruption.
In June, the Treasury Department added Miguel Díaz-Canel to its sanctions list, along with Alejandro Castro Espín, son of dictator Raúl Castro, and Raúl Alejandro Castro Calís, as well as Díaz-Canel’s wife, Lis Cuesta Peraza. The Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), and the state-owned mining company Minera La Victoria were also sanctioned.
The pressure also extended to sectors considered strategic. On June 11, the United States sanctioned the state-owned Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET), while in July, companies linked to foreign trade, maritime transport, and Cuban medical services were designated. These included GECOMEX, GEMAR, the Cuban Medical Services Marketing Company, and the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation.
In September, Washington again expanded sanctions on the regime’s financial and economic structures. OFAC added Banco Exterior de Cuba, Comercial CUPET, and other state-owned enterprises to its sanctions list, while also sanctioning Fidel Ernesto Castro Calís, grandson of Raúl Castro and brother of Raúl Alejandro Castro Calís. These new measures came on top of regulatory changes that broadened restrictions on direct and indirect transactions with entities linked to the Cuban military, intelligence, and security apparatus.
Washington’s pressure strategy contrasts with the message Havana has tried to convey in recent months: a willingness to make economic changes to attract investment and address the crisis, but without accepting modifications to the political system. @ADNCuba
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