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The US and Cuba have confirmed that secret high-level talks took place in Havana earlier this month amid pressure from Trump that could result in a US military intervention.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Relations between the US and Cuba have been deteriorating rapidly since Trump took office. Following the US military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, Trump turned his sights on Havana, ratcheting up sanctions and choking off nearly all fuel shipments to the island in an effort to squeeze the Communist government into political and economic concessions. The island was already sliding through a brutal economic downturn, and the fuel cutoff has accelerated the freefall. Trump has repeatedly hinted at military intervention, saying the US “may stop by Cuba” once it wraps up business with Iran and telling a reporter that it depends on “what your definition of military action is.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has pledged to “open fire” on any US invasion attempt and put his name to a declaration to never “negotiate the principles of the Cuban revolution.” Trump is reportedly seeking regime change in Cuba, which the Cuban government says is off the table.

What’s going on now: A senior State Department delegation flew to Havana on April 10 for meetings with Cuban officials, including a separate sit-down with Raul Castro’s grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro. This marks the first time a US government plane has landed in Cuba since 2016.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister confirmed the meeting Monday, describing it as “respectful and professional” and saying the US delegation issued no threats or deadlines (contradicting US media reports). The Cuban side made clear that lifting the energy blockade was their top priority. According to US reports, the delegation told Cuban leaders their economy was in freefall and that they had a narrow window to act before circumstances “irreversibly worsen.”

The list of conditions US officials laid on the table was long. They pressed for the freeing of jailed dissidents, naming San Isidro movement artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and Maykel Osorbo, both convicted in 2022. Other items included scrapping political crackdowns, opening the economy to market reforms, paying back Americans who lost property when Fidel Castro’s government seized it in the 1959 revolution, and clearing the way for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service to operate on the island. A source briefed on the meeting told USA Today that Havana was handed a 14-day clock to free some of the most well-known detainees as a show of good faith.

This all comes as military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, a US military surveillance drone has been spotted flying near the island, and leaders from Mexico, Spain, and Brazil have urged “sincere and respectful dialogue.” In addition to this, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday there was “no evident justification” for a US military attack on Cuba.

There’s been no comment from the White House.