US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is conducting confidential talks with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson and close advisor of Cuba's former leader. According to reports from the Axios portal, the Donald Trump administration is seeking ways to force drastic changes on the island. The White House officially demands the transformation of Cuba into a free and prosperous democracy, while the country grapples with its deepest economic crisis in decades.

Secret communication channels

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is talking with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of the former dictator, bypassing official Cuban diplomacy.

Humanitarian collapse in Havana

Cuba is facing its deepest crisis in decades; there is a lack of energy, and the streets of Havana are littered with waste due to paralyzed services.

White House demands

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declares that the condition for lifting sanctions is drastic democratic reforms and economic freedom on the island.

Bad Bunny's historic performance

The artist performed at Super Bowl 2026 entirely in Spanish, sparking a debate about transcribing his lyrics and their political significance.

The United States has initiated unofficial diplomatic talks with representatives of the Cuban regime, bypassing standard government channels. The main actor on the American side is Marco Rubio, who is in direct contact with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. He is not only the grandson of Raúl Castro but, more importantly, an influential advisor, suggesting that Washington recognizes the 94-year-old revolutionary as the actual decision-making center on the island, despite his formal retirement from politics. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the condition for improving relations is drastic systemic changes to make Cuba a free country. The situation in Cuba itself is dramatic and described as the worst crisis since Castrism took power. Residents of Havana, including in the La Víbora neighborhood, struggle with widespread power outages, food shortages, and a complete paralysis of municipal services, illustrated by piles of garbage littering the streets. This crisis is exacerbated by harsh restrictions imposed by the Donald Trump administration. Some observers compare the current contacts to the Delcy Rodríguez case, suggesting a search for individuals within the regime who might be willing to negotiate terms of transformation or safely relinquish power in exchange for personal guarantees. US-Cuban relations have remained tense since the 1959 revolution. After a brief period of détente during Barack Obama's presidency, the Donald Trump administration returned to a policy of maximum pressure and tightening of the embargo.In the shadow of these major political processes, an event of symbolic significance in popular culture occurred. During the halftime show of Super Bowl 2026, Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performed. He made history as the first artist to perform an entire repertoire exclusively in Spanish. His performance, based on songs from his award-winning album, became a cultural manifesto that gained such widespread attention that there were even calls for official transcriptions of his lyrics to fully understand the political and social allusions in his work. „Cuba must implement drastic changes to soon become a truly free and prosperous democracy.” — Karoline Leavitt94 years — is the age of Raúl Castro, considered the de facto leader of the islandTimeline of Recent Diplomatic Events: February 18, 12:00 — Revelation of Rubio Talks; February 18, 20:15 — White House Statement; February 19, 05:11 — Report from Havana; February 19, 11:36 — Aftermath of Super Bowl

Mentioned People

  • Marco Rubio — US Secretary of State conducting confidential talks with Cuban representatives.
  • Raúl Castro — Former leader of Cuba, still considered a key decision-making figure.
  • Karoline Leavitt — White House spokesperson responsible for communication on foreign affairs.
  • Bad Bunny — Latino vocalist who performed at Super Bowl 2026.