Cuba and the US talk, but stop short of real talks

Cuba says it is exchanging messages with the United States, but insists that the contact has not crossed the line into anything resembling formal negotiations, even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Havana.

Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, told Reuters on Monday that Washington is well aware that Havana is open to engagement, on its own terms.

“We have had exchange of messages, we have embassies, we have had communications, but we cannot say we have had a table of dialogue,” he said, drawing a clear distinction between diplomatic contact and structured talks.

In a separate interview with Associated Press, De Cossio left the door slightly ajar, saying:

“If we can have a dialogue, maybe that can lead to negotiation.” At the same time, he underlined firm red lines, stressing that Cuba’s constitution, economic model and socialist system are not up for discussion.

The comments mark the first public acknowledgement from Havana that some level of communication with Washington is ongoing, after weeks of rising tension. Those strains have intensified since the US military’s abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a close Cuban ally, and Trump’s subsequent threats against governments he accuses of supporting Havana.

Trump himself suggested on Sunday that progress might be underway.

“I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate, claiming talks had begun with “the highest people in Cuba.” Just days earlier, however, his administration had branded Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security in an executive order.

On Monday, the tone hardened again. Speaking at the White House, Trump said Mexico “is going to cease” sending oil to Cuba, a claim Mexico has not confirmed. Mexico is Cuba’s largest oil supplier and has previously said it would continue shipments for humanitarian reasons, while warning that US retaliation remained a risk.

The US has already moved to choke off fuel deliveries to the island, including oil from Venezuela. The squeeze has driven up food and transport costs and triggered severe fuel shortages and rolling blackouts, even in Havana.

De Cossio warned that Washington’s strategy could prove self-defeating.

“The US… is attempting to force every country in the world not to provide fuel to Cuba. Can that be sustained in the long run?” he asked.