The Cuban government said the meeting occurred “in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations” and was intended to contribute to dialogue between the two countries after months of escalating tensions.

The CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The talks came one day after Cuba’s energy minister, Vicente de la O Levy, said the country had exhausted its reserves of diesel and fuel oil, leaving the national power grid in what he described as a “critical” condition.

“We have absolutely no fuel oil and absolutely no diesel,” Levy said on state media on Wednesday, acknowledging the country had no remaining reserves as prolonged blackouts intensified across the island.

Residents in several districts of Havana staged protests late Wednesday, chanting “turn on the lights,” banging pots and pans and setting fire to piles of rubbish as electricity outages stretched to as long as 22 hours in some areas.

Cuban authorities blamed the shortages on what they described as a U.S. blockade that has sharply restricted the island’s ability to import fuel and financing. Washington imposed additional measures targeting Cuba’s energy sector in January, further straining supplies.

In its statement, Havana reiterated that Cuba did not pose a threat to U.S. national security and rejected allegations related to foreign military or intelligence activity on the island, including claims regarding a Chinese presence.

“Havana has never supported any hostile activity against the United States, nor will it permit actions against any other nation to be carried out from Cuba,” the statement said.Relations between Washington and Havana have deteriorated significantly in recent months.

U.S. President Donald Trump has expanded sanctions on the communist-run island and publicly floated the possibility of greater U.S. control over Cuba’s affairs, while Cuban officials have accused Washington of deliberately worsening humanitarian conditions.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently renewed an offer of $100 million in aid on the condition that distribution be handled through the Catholic Church rather than the Cuban government.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a post on X that the humanitarian situation could be alleviated more effectively if the United States eased sanctions and restrictions on the island.

“The damage could be eased in a much simpler and faster way by lifting or relaxing the blockade,” Diaz-Canel said, adding that Cuba would not obstruct humanitarian assistance if Washington demonstrated “true willingness” to provide aid.

Despite mounting tensions, diplomatic engagement between the two governments has continued. A senior-level bilateral meeting took place in Havana on April 10, marking the first landing of a U.S. government aircraft in the Cuban capital since 2016.

Ratcliffe held talks with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and Cuban intelligence officials during the visit, marking one of the most significant direct intelligence-level engagements between Washington and Havana in years.

A CIA official said Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”

The Cuban government confirmed the meeting in a statement, describing it as taking place “against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.”

According to U.S. officials, Washington reiterated concerns that Cuba could not remain a “safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere,” while Cuban representatives rejected assertions that the island posed a security threat to the United States and objected to Cuba’s continued designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Rodríguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, has long maintained influence within Cuba’s security establishment despite holding no formal government office. He previously served as his grandfather’s bodyguard and later oversaw Cuba’s equivalent of the Secret Service.

Officials familiar with the discussions said Rodríguez Castro also held a private meeting earlier this year with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Caribbean Community summit in St. Kitts.

The Havana meetings come amid escalating economic strain in Cuba following tighter U.S. restrictions on fuel shipments to the island. Cuban authorities have warned that severe shortages of diesel and fuel oil have destabilized the national electricity grid, leading to prolonged blackouts and worsening shortages of food and basic goods.

The continuing dialogue between U.S. and Cuban officials has also marked the first known U.S. government flights into Cuba outside the naval base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department reiterated an offer to provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance and satellite internet support if the Cuban government agreed to permit distribution and access arrangements.

In January, President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba as part of a broader effort to pressure Havana economically. Trump has also warned of possible intervention in Cuba, although sources familiar with internal discussions told AP that military action was not considered imminent.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently said Cuba was prepared to defend itself against any external threat while continuing to accuse Washington of intensifying the island’s economic crisis through sanctions and fuel restrictions.