Overview
- A USA TODAY profile this week revealed Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro has acted as a back-channel contact with U.S. officials and publicly offered to negotiate with U.S. representatives.
- Elier Ramírez Cañedo of the Communist Party confirmed late Friday that Rodríguez Castro is taking part in talks “by decision of the country's highest leadership.”
- Prime Minister Manuel Marrero posted that conversations with U.S. representatives have occurred and defended the negotiating team as acting under orders from the ‘army general’ and the president.
- Rodríguez Castro holds no formal government post but says he has regular access to classified reports and daily contact with his grandfather, a fact that has prompted criticism inside Cuba about bypassing institutions and elite privilege.
- Senior Cuban foreign ministry officials say channels with Washington remain open but publicly acknowledge that the endorsement has not yet produced any significant bilateral progress and that the role remains informal.