CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana in May 2026, becoming the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit the island in recent years. During this visit, he delivered a message tying economic and security collaboration to specific demands: that Cuba take steps to curtail Russian and Chinese intelligence operations on the island. Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis gave Washington additional leverage in these negotiations. This trip is part of a broader diplomatic strategy, including a phone call in March 2025 with Russia’s spy chief, the first direct communication between the two intelligence services in over two years.
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