HAVANA: US officials met recently with their Cuban counterparts in Havana, an official in the Cuban foreign ministry confirmed in an interview to state-run outlet Granma on Monday.

Axios reported on Friday that a senior US delegation visited the island the week before, saying Cuban officials have a small window to adopt US-backed reforms before conditions worsen.

Alejandro Garcia del Toro, who handles US affairs in the Cuban foreign ministry, said neither party set deadlines or made threatening statements in the meeting, which he called “respectful.” “Eliminating the energy embargo against the country was a top priority for our delegation,” Garcia del Toro said.

The US officials urged the Cuban government to follow longstanding US policy to lift the Cuban embargo, Axios reported, including compensation for assets and properties confiscated after the 1959 revolution, the release of political prisoners and ensuring greater political freedoms.

The US delegation also offered to set up Starlink satellite services in the country, Axios reported. Garcia del Toro said that the US was represented by deputy State Department officials and Cuba was represented “at the level of deputy foreign minister.”

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026