Officials from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team met confidentially with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro, on the sidelines of the CARICOM summit in Saint Kitts and Nevis between 4:46 PM and 7:15 PM UTC on February 26, 2026, to discuss potential economic and political changes in Cuba in exchange for gradual sanctions relief, according to the Miami Herald citing multiple sources. The Miami Herald reported that Rodríguez Castro, known as 'El Cangrejo,' serves as a close advisor and bodyguard to Raúl Castro with ties to the military conglomerate GAESA, despite holding no formal government position. A Caribbean diplomat cited by the outlet stated that Rubio described the negotiations with Havana as 'advanced' and aimed at forcing real transformations without prolonging the regime. Separate reports from @business, shared by journalist Jorge Castro on X during the same period, indicated that President Donald Trump's decision to facilitate fuel shipments to Cuba's private sector forms part of a strategy to increase U.S. influence on the island for political and economic changes. These developments mark a shift in U.S. policy involving discreet contacts with Castro family figures amid maximum pressure on Havana, as noted by the Miami Herald. No direct meeting between Rubio and Rodríguez Castro has been confirmed.
