By Olivia Gazis
April 17, 2026 / 9:54 PM EDT / CBS News
A delegation of senior State Department representatives traveled to Cuba on a U.S. government plane last week, a State Department official and two U.S. officials told CBS News, signaling a diplomatic opening as the island nation faces months of intense pressure from the Trump administration.
While in Havana, one U.S. diplomat met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former President Raúl Castro, who is widely viewed as a key power broker within Cuba’s government, the State Department official said. It was unclear who else took part in talks on either side.
Axios first reported the visit, which was the first landing of a U.S. government plane in Cuba since former President Barack Obama’s 2016 trip to the island. During the meetings, the U.S. delegation pressed for political and economic reforms and the release of political prisoners, the official said. The Americans also discussed potentially enabling Cuban access to Starlink, the satellite internet service run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
“The delegation reiterated that the Cuban economy is in free fall and that the island’s ruling elites have a small window to make key U.S.-backed reforms before circumstances irreversibly worsen,” the official told CBS News. The official added that President Trump is open to resolving U.S. concerns through diplomacy but “will not let the island collapse into a major national security threat if Cuba’s leaders are unwilling or unable to act.”
Cuba is in the midst of a prolonged energy crisis after Mr. Trump threatened heavy tariffs on countries that export oil to the island. Oil shipments have effectively stopped, though the U.S. allowed a Russian-flagged tanker to dock in Havana last month as a humanitarian reprieve, the administration said.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested intervention in Cuba, calling it a “failing country” and saying it “could be next.” He recently told reporters, without elaboration, that “we may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this,” and said he seeks to “bring about a day 70 years in waiting — it’s called a new dawn for Cuba,” likely referencing the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.
Both governments have acknowledged talks are underway, but it remains unclear how close they are to a resolution. Cuba announced earlier this year it will loosen some restrictions on foreign investment — a step Secretary of State Marco Rubio called insufficient.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected Mr. Trump’s rhetoric at a rally and vowed the country will “be ready” for a possible U.S. military offensive. “We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it,” Díaz-Canel said.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.