Cuban government says CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with officials in Havana

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HAVANA (AP) — The Cuban government said Thursday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with counterparts from the Ministry of the Interior during a high-level visit to the island. According to official reports, the meeting served as a platform for Cuba to present evidence asserting that the nation poses no threat to U.S. national security.

An official statement noted the meeting "took place Thursday, May 14, against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.” The meeting was reportedly held to foster political dialogue between the two long-strained adversaries.

The evidence and discussions presented by the Cuban delegation “categorically demonstrate that the island poses no threat to U.S. national security, the statement said. Consequently, Havana maintains there are no legitimate grounds for its continued inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Thursday's meeting come weeks after the Cuban government confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country.

In late January, U.S. Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. Trump also has threatened to intervene in the country, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said recently that his country was prepared to fight if that should happen.

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