U.S. Officials Close To Marco Rubio Reportedly Met With Grandson Of Raul Castro To Continue Cuba Negotiations

U.S. officials close to Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the grandson of Raul Castro to continue discussing the future of the island, according to a new report.

The Miami Herald detailed that the meeting with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro took place on the sidelines of the 50th regular meeting of the CARICOM, the annual meeting of Caribbean leaders, in Saint Kitt's. It is not clear whether Rubio took part in the meeting.

The report stands in contrast with recent remarks from a top Cuban official who dismissed a previous report claiming that such talks were happening.

The country's permanent representative to the UN, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, said the report appeared to be "speculation."

Axios claimed earlier this month that talks with Rodriguez Castro were in fact happening and bypassing official channels, showing that the Trump administration believes his grandfather is the decision maker in the country.

The outlet added that Rodriguez Castro is also seen as someone who represents a more business-oriented part of the regime who believe communism has failed and believe a rapprochement with the U.S. could be valuable.

"I wouldn't call these 'negotiations' as much as 'discussions' about the future," an official told the outlet. "The U.S. government's position — is the regime has to go," the official added. However, "what exactly that looks like is up to (President Donald Trump) and and he has yet to decide, and Rubio is still in talks with the grandson."

In the meantime, Cuba continues to endure severe fuel shortages. A tanker believed to be carrying Russian oil that was on its way to the island changed course.

The Sea Horse is now drifting in the North Atlantic Ocean, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The vessel is believed to be carrying some 200,000 barrels of gas oil, the outlet added, based on shipping analytics from Kpler Ltd.

Cuba didn't receive any oil in January for the first time in a decade. Bloomberg noted in another report that the lack of shipments illustrates the acute lack of fuel taking place in the country, with an analyst telling the outlet that he expects it to run out in the coming weeks.

Vortexa Ltd senior analyst Rohit Rathod noted that Cuba received substantial amounts of oil in December, which should last for some more weeks. However, the lack of new "I would give it until late-March before they run out of fuels," he added.