Rubio backchannel: secret discussions with Castro heir over Cuba transition

Last Updated: February 18, 2026By

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly been holding secret talks with the grandson of Raul Castro, the former President of Cuba. 

The talks between Rubio and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are bypassing official Cuban government channels, Axios reported

“Our position — the U.S. government’s position — is the regime has to go,” a senior official told the news outlet. “But what exactly that looks like is up to [President Trump] and he has yet to decide. Rubio is still in talks with the grandson.”

TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO

Marco Rubio appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Capitol.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly been in talks with the grandson of former Cuban President Rual Castro about the communist-run island’s future.  (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

“I wouldn’t call these ‘negotiations’ as much as ‘discussions’ about the future,” the official added.

Earlier this month, Cuban despot Miguel Díaz-Canel warned his country is “close to failing” as the U.S. shuts off commercial valves vital to its survival, such as fuel and food, followed by nearly 70 years of one-party communist rule.

Cuba’s power grid is failing, hospitals are short of necessary supplies and garbage has piled up on the streets. 

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, former Cuban president Raul Castro and former President Trump

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stands with former Cuban president Raul Castro, left, and former President Trump, right. (Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images, left,  Joe Raedle/Getty Images, right.)

The Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on the communist-run island in recent weeks, following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a Cuban ally. The administration has accused Havana of cozying up to U.S. adversaries and terrorist groups. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department. The White House referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s remarks on Tuesday, in which she said Havana needs to make serious changes. 

Waste on the streets of Cuba

People walk next to trash on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba on Monday.  (Reuters)

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“They are a regime that is falling,” she said. “Their country is collapsing, and that’s why we believe it’s in their best interest to make very dramatic changes very soon. And we’ll see what they decide to do.”


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