President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States is in talks with high-level Cuban representatives and that Cuba would be eager to reach an agreement, easing tensions between the two neighbors that have worsened the island’s economic crisis.
Some news published by the American press indicates that American authorities are in negotiations with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban president Raúl Castro, who is 94 years old and still exercises great influence.
Cuba’s top diplomat in the US, Lianys Torres Rivera, made it clear that the country’s sovereignty and right to self-determination must be respected, according to the American newspaper Los Angeles Times.
“We are certain that a solution can be found,” said Rivera.
Negotiations between both countries take place at the same time as , imposing an almost total oil blockade on the Caribbean island.
This happened after , removing Cuba’s crucial ally from power.
Raúl Castro is not in command?
Raúl Castro fought alongside his older brother, Fidel, in the Cuban revolution in 1959 and served as a loyal defense minister for decades.
He became president on an interim basis in 2006, when Fidel fell ill. Two years later, he took over the position permanently after his brother’s retirement. With Fidel’s death in 2016, Raúl assumed the role of unifying leader among those loyal to the Cuban revolution.
since then bearing the honorific title of general of the army.
The person who would later reach the top of Cuban power would be Miguel Díaz-Canel. At his inauguration ceremony in 2018, the then president stated that Raúl Castro “will lead the most important decisions for the present and future of the nation.”
In a clear demonstration of his power, in December 2025, Raúl Castro proposed the postponement of the party congress that would define Díaz-Canel’s successor – something that was promptly met by the Central Committee, unanimously.
Who is Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro?
Known as Raúl Castro.
As his former bodyguard, Rodriguez Castro was at his grandfather’s side throughout his presidency, sometimes dressed in the military uniform of the Ministry of the Interior. There are reports that he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The Cuban government did not respond to a request for clarification about Rodríguez Castro’s biography or his possible role in the negotiations.
Rodríguez Castro is the son of Débora Castro Espín, daughter of Raúl Castro, and the late General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who headed the military conglomerate GAESA.
During Raúl Castro’s presidency, Gaesa (Business Administration Group) took control of the most important companies in the State, including hotels, banks, as well as logistics companies and parts of the retail sector. Rodríguez López-Calleja passed away from a heart attack in 2022, aged 62. Media reports suggest that Rodríguez Castro may have assumed some role in his late father’s company.
This lineage places Rodríguez Castro at the intersection between Cuba’s political leadership and its most powerful economic institution, making him a potentially important intermediary for Washington.
Axios, citing three unnamed sources, reported in
The Miami Herald, also citing unnamed sources, reported on February 26 that officials close to Rubio met with Rodríguez Castro on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community regional conference in St. Kitts and Nevis.
US Representative Mario Díaz-Balart told the Herald that the Trump administration is holding high-level secret conversations with several people in Raúl Castro’s inner circle.
And “el Carangejo”?
If “el Cangrejo” is acting as an informal link between Havana and Washington, he would be playing a role similar to that of his uncle and Raúl Castro’s son, Alejandro Castro Espín.
Espín conducted then-secret negotiations, marking a major shift by the United States toward Cuba during Barack Obama’s presidency.
Family ties seem to be important. None of the younger Castros held a diplomatic position. Raúl Castro, in turn, had been a confidant and advisor to his older brother, Fidel.
Alejandro Castro Espin, 60, is believed to have been sidelined following his father’s departure from office, although the Interior Ministry colonel may have risen to the rank of one-star general.
Or future of Cuba
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis at the end of February,
“Cuba needs to change. It needs to change,” Rubio said last month.
“, he added.
Diana Correa, director of the international relations program at Tecnológico de Monterrey, stated that, amid the crisis in Cuba, many citizens see the growing presence of Rodríguez Castro as an indication that a change of government may be on the way, framed in negotiations with the USA.
“Many are now saying that this is in fact a generational shift, with the person taking control, even if it is behind the scenes, but still controlling the operations,” she said.
“By having Castro negotiating, at least externally, it seems that they are signaling that the negotiation is serious, because this person represents all the power of the State”, concluded Correa.
