CIA Ratcliffe Brings Maduro Raid Figure to Cuba Talks

(MENAFN) CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana last week accompanied by an operative directly linked to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the killing of Cuban personnel during that operation, media reported Friday.

Citing multiple unnamed sources, media reported that Ratcliffe presented the operative during high-level discussions with senior Cuban officials, explicitly identifying him as a participant in the January mission that netted Maduro.

Cuba, a close Venezuelan ally before Maduro's capture, has confirmed that 32 of its military and police personnel died during that operation. The media reports said the move was viewed as a message to Havana amid growing tensions between the US and Cuba.

The CIA declined to comment, said media.

The visit followed months of escalating Trump administration pressure on Cuba, including threats of tariffs on nations exporting oil to the island — a squeeze that has deepened already severe fuel shortages. A CIA official told media that Ratcliffe made clear Washington would only engage Havana on economic and security matters contingent on sweeping political and economic reforms.

Ratcliffe also met Raul Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban President Raul Castro, during the trip.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has recently charged that Cuba maintains deep intelligence cooperation with Venezuela, Russia, and China, warning that Havana must no longer function as a sanctuary for adversaries of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.

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