Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been holding secret talks with the grandson of Raul Castro, the previous president of Cuba. Discussions between Rubio and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are reportedly bypassing official Cuban government channels.
Raul Castro was the younger brother of Fidel who became president of Cuba after Fidel resigned in 2008. He retired in 2018 and was replaced by Miguel Diaz-Canal, who is still in control of the country.
Neither Rubio nor Rodriguez Castro have confirmed or denied the talks.
Meanwhile, Rubio was born in Miami, Florida, but his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in 1956. This was shortly after Fidel Castro became dictator of the island country in 1959.
According to Fox News, a senior government official says that the U.S. government's position is the regime has to go. Conditions in the country are quite dire. The Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on the communist-run island in recent weeks.
Diaz-Canal recently announced that Cuba is “close to failing” after the U.S. has cut off vital commercial vales. They also have problems with a failing power grid, garbage-piled streets, shorty-supplied hospitals.
Humberto Fontova fled Cuba in 1961 and has written several books on the Castro regime.
"I think that Rubio, with President Trump's instructions, is doing the practical thing,” states Fontova. “You all can go into exile, probably foreign exile, and live with your ill-gotten goods, but leave the Cuban people alone and get your hands out of the economy so that Cuba can prosper for all Cubans, not just the Castro family."
However, Fontova says that regime change is not eminent. He thinks that it is going to take over a year.
"I think it's probably within the next year and a half. It's going to be a transition. You're not going to see the top people decapitated. What we're trying to do right now is tell a few of them, ‘look, right now you're in a position to cut a fairly decent deal for your people’," says Fontova.
