Timeline of recent US-Cuba relations amid heightened tensions in Trump’s second term

WASHINGTON– The United States began increasing pressure on communist-controlled Cuba after military action in Venezuela earlier this year resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

The Justice Department is preparing to seek indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. A criminal charge against Castro would have to be approved by a grand jury and could escalate tensions with Havana.

This would come amid growing tensions this year between President Donald Trump’s administration and the Cuban government. Meanwhile, the United States finds itself in the midst of a tenuous ceasefire in America’s war against Iran.

Here’s a closer look at developments over the year between Cuba and the United States.

A day after the operation in Venezuela that captured Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Cuban government was “in great trouble” as the president reiterated calls for a U.S. takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland.

Trump issued a warning to the Cuban government as close ally Venezuela braced for possible unrest following Maduro’s ouster. Trump called on the Cuban government “to make a deal BEFORE it’s too late.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded: “Those who turn everything into business, even human lives, have no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in any way, absolutely in any way. »

Trump signed an executive order to impose tariffs on all goods from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple the island.

A day before the start of the Iran war, Trump said the United States was in talks with Havana and raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba,” although he did not provide details.

Trump said Rubio was in talks with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”

Trump did not clarify his comments but appeared to indicate that the situation with Cuba, one of Washington’s bitterest adversaries in decades, was reaching a crisis point.

Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Castro’s grandson known as “Raúlito,” met secretly with Rubio on the sidelines of the Caribbean Community summit in St. Kitts in February.

Díaz-Canelsa said Cuba and the United States held talks, marking the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed widespread speculation about talks with the Trump administration amid an energy crisis.

He said the discussions “aimed to find solutions through dialogue to bilateral disputes between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges.”

A sanctioned Russian tanker has arrived in Cuba, the first time in three months that fuel has reached the island.

Diaz-Canel said he would not resign.

Díaz-Canel said in an interview that he would not resign and that the United States had no valid reason to carry out a military attack on the island or attempt to remove him.

Speaking in the interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security.

Díaz-Canel spoke at a rally that brought together hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the socialist essence of the Cuban Revolution.

“The moment is extremely difficult and calls on us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to face serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it,” Diaz-Canel said.

Reports emerged that a U.S. delegation recently met with Cuban government officials, marking a new diplomatic push. It was at least the third meeting with Rodríguez Castro.

A senior State Department official met with Rodríguez Castro earlier this month, according to a department official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

The official did not say who from the United States met with Rodríguez Castro, whose grandfather is said to play an influential role in the Cuban government although he does not hold an official position. A second U.S. official said Rubio was not part of the delegation that visited Havana.

A Cuban diplomat speaking at the United Nations said Havana would not bow to any U.S. “ultimatum” to release political prisoners amid new talks.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, said internal issues regarding the detainees “are not on the negotiating table.” The release of political prisoners was a key U.S. demand as the longtime adversaries held talks in Cuba for the first time in a decade.

Senate Republicans rejected legislation from Democrats that would have required Trump to end the U.S. energy blockade on Cuba unless he gets approval from Congress.

The vote on the war powers resolution showed how Republicans continue to support Trump as he acts unilaterally to exert American force in a series of global conflicts, including in Venezuela, Iran and Cuba – one of the United States’ closest neighbors.

U.S. officials said the United States was not considering imminent military action against Havana, despite Trump’s repeated threats that “Cuba would be next” and that U.S. warships deployed to the Middle East for the Iran conflict could return via the island.

Officials involved in preliminary discussions with Cuban authorities also told the AP that they are not optimistic that the communist government will accept an offer of tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, two years of free Starlink Internet access for all Cubans, agricultural aid and infrastructure support.

But they say Cuba has not yet outright refused the offer, which comes with conditions the government has long resisted, even after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Havana.

U.S. and Cuban officials said CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Raúl Castro’s grandson, during a high-level visit to the island.

Ratcliffe met with Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuba’s intelligence services, and discussed cooperation on intelligence, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP.

The Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against Castro, three people familiar with the matter told the AP.

One of the people said the potential indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shooting down of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was then defense minister.

The three people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The Cuban government did not respond to a request for comment on the possible indictment, reported earlier by CBS.