According to officials from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and statements from the Cuban government, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe held meetings in Havana on Thursday with Cuban officials, including the Minister of Interior, head of the intelligence agency, and Raulito Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of Raúl Castro. CIA officials stated that the purpose of this visit was to personally convey President Trump's message to Cuban leadership: the United States is prepared to engage seriously with Cuba on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes. The two sides also discussed "intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues" against the backdrop of the assertion that "Cuba can no longer serve as a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere." In response, Cuba stated that it had provided information "sufficient to clearly demonstrate that Cuba does not pose a threat to U.S. national security," and emphasized that there is no legitimate basis for placing Cuba on the so-called list of countries supporting terrorism. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department announced that the United States is ready to provide Cuban people with "rapid, free satellite internet access and $100 million in direct humanitarian aid" (which Cuban Foreign Minister described as the first such proposal ever made by the U.S.), while criticizing the Cuban government as a "corrupt regime" that blocks American assistance to the Cuban people. The Cuban Foreign Minister said the Cuban government is awaiting further detailed information and has not rejected goodwill offers from abroad.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865220787218441/
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