DEVELOPING: The Cuban regime stated it is maintaining communication with the United States following an armed incident in the waters of Villa Clara province, with Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos F. de Cossio reporting that U.S. authorities have shown a willingness to cooperate, according to a statement shared at 10:15 PM UTC on February 26, 2026, during the reporting window from 9:45:49 PM to 10:15:54 PM UTC. De Cossio's comment, posted by journalist Jorge Castro on X, marks the first official Cuban response in the past 30 minutes confirming direct U.S.-Cuba dialogue on the confrontation, which occurred earlier this week and involved a group in Cuban territorial waters as previously detailed by a former participant from Florida. This update follows a former group member's account shared earlier on February 26 from Florida, stating the incident began via TikTok recruitment, and aligns with U.S. policy shifts including fuel shipments to Cuba's private sector and a secret meeting between U.S. officials and RaĂșl Guillermo RodrĂguez Castro at the CARICOM summit in Saint Kitts earlier that day, as reported by the Miami Herald.
