U.S. general meets with Cuban military officials near Guantanamo Bay

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA – JUNE 28: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image was reviewed by the U.S. military prior to transmission.) A panoramic view above the former “Camp X-Ray” outdoor detention center June 28, 2023 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Photo by Elise Swain/Getty Images)

Elise Swain | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The top US general overseeing forces in Latin America held a rare meeting on Friday with senior Cuban military officials on the perimeter of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the US military said on Friday, confirming a Reuters report.

U.S. Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, briefly discussed operational security issues with the Cuban delegation, which included Cuban Gen. Roberto Legra Sotolongo, first deputy chief of staff, U.S. Southern Command said on X.

“Donovan also conducted a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed force protection, the safety of servicemembers and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,” the statement said.

Donovan’s meeting in Cuba is the first in recent memory hosted by a Southern Command leader and comes amid growing concerns in Cuba over a possible U.S. military attack on the communist-ruled island.

The Cuban armed forces said on Facebook that the meeting was held by mutual agreement and that both sides agreed to maintain communication.

“Both delegations positively evaluate the meeting during which issues related to security around the dividing perimeter of the military enclave were discussed and agreed to maintain communication between the two military commands,” the statement said.

The meeting follows a rare visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Havana in early May.

President Donald Trump has often cited Cuba among the foreign policy goals of his second term and has suggested it will become his priority once the war with Iran ends.

American antagonist

Cuba has been an adversary of the United States for decades, dating back to Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959.

Trump is strongly supported by extremist Cuban-Americans in Florida, who have pushed for U.S.-instigated regime change for decades, and his administration has continued to step up pressure on the island.

On May 20, the United States formally charged former President Raul Castro with four counts of murder for the 1996 destruction of civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exiles.

The indictment is the latest example of the Trump administration’s efforts to assert American influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Washington’s more assertive role in Latin America was epitomized by a daring raid by the US military on January 3 to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and then take him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Maduro, a Havana-aligned socialist, has pleaded not guilty.

Rubio, Donovan photo

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and considered a possible candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2028, has sounded the alarm in Havana about the national security risk posed by what he calls a failed state located just 90 miles from Florida.

On May 5, Rubio and Donovan posed in front of a map of Cuba in a message on X from Donovan’s Southern Command. The discussions focused on “U.S. efforts to counter threats that undermine security, stability, and democracy in our hemisphere.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez warned that any military action would lead to a “bloodbath” in which thousands of Cubans and Americans would die.

Trump effectively imposed an oil blockade on the island by threatening to impose tariffs on countries that supply him with fuel, triggering seemingly endless power outages and dealing further blows to the island’s already struggling economy.

Experts say instability in Cuba threatens a migration crisis.

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