Rare U.S.-Cuba military talks held near Guantanamo Bay

The U.S. military reported that Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), met with senior Cuban military officials near the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, marking a rare security dialogue between the two sides.

Reuters quoted SOUTHCOM as saying in a post on X platform on Saturday that Donovan held discussions on operational security with a Cuban delegation that included Army Corps Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister of the Chief of the General Staff of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, News.Az reports, citing SANA.

The command added that Donovan also conducted a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed with its officials matters of force protection, the safety of service members and their families, and the level of operational readiness.

For its part, the Cuban Armed Forces confirmed that the meeting was held with the agreement of both sides and addressed issues related to security in the area surrounding the Guantanamo Bay base, noting an agreement to continue communication channels between the two military commands.

In a statement, the Cuban Armed Forces said both delegations assessed the meeting positively, discussing issues linked to security in the buffer zone surrounding the military base, and agreed to maintain contacts between the two sides.

The meeting comes as the Trump administration continues to pay special attention to the Cuban file within the priorities of its foreign policy, with Washington not ruling out military action against the island and Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel warning of serious consequences should the United States opt for escalation.

A U.S. official revealed on May 15 that CIA Director John Ratcliffe conveyed a message from President Donald Trump to senior Cuban officials in Havana, stating that the United States would “cooperate seriously” with Cuba on economic and security issues only if Cuba made “substantial changes.”

The gathering is the first of its kind in recent years between the commander of U.S. Southern Command and senior Cuban military officials, and takes place amid growing fears inside Cuba of possible U.S. military steps against the island.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli