Cuba is in full collapse mode — nationwide blackouts, zero fuel, economy in ruins after Venezuelan oil dried up.
Trump’s team is applying maximum pressure: fresh sanctions, de facto fuel squeeze, and clear demands for “fundamental changes” on human rights, the economy, and kicking out Russian/Chinese/Iranian presence 90 miles from Florida.
On May 14, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare public visit to Havana. He flew in on a marked U.S. government plane, met Raúl Castro’s grandson “Raulito,” the Interior Minister, and Cuba’s intelligence chief. He personally delivered Trump’s message: economic/security engagement only if real reforms happen. Photos were released.
On top of that, an indictment of 94-year-old Raúl Castro is expected soon (around May 20) for ordering the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, killing four people. Long-sought accountability for Cuban-Americans.
It’s straight hardball leverage against a failing regime — squeeze hard, offer carrots only if they deliver. No need for extra layers.
There’s online speculation that some of this ties back to Obama-era normalization deals (2014-2016), possible grant flows, or hidden connections, but that remains unproven conjecture at this point. The visible pressure campaign and old justice case are plenty significant on their own.