CIA chief visits Cuba as US demands ‘fundamental changes’ | World News

The head of the CIA has made a historic visit to Havana for talks with senior officials as the country is gripped by blackouts caused a US oil blockade.

John Ratcliffe is thought to be the first director of the American intelligence agency to visit the island since the 1953 communist revolution.

He came with a message from Donald Trump that the US would “seriously engage” on economic and security matters should the government there make “fundamental changes”, a CIA official told Reuters.

There was no detail about what those changes should entail.

A statement from Cuba’s interior ministry said the two sides “underscored their interest in developing bilateral cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the interest of the security of both countries”.

The island poses no threat to the US, it said, despite the CIA official’s assertion it is a “safe haven for adversaries”.

The Trump administration’s blockade of oil has caused rolling blackouts, sparking protests in Havana, with the president having repeatedly threatened military action.

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His rhetoric has drawn comparisons with how he talked about Venezuela before January’s operation to capture its president, Nicolas Maduro. Mr Trump has since sought to cooperate with new leader Delcy Rodriguez on oil.

Sky’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay says Cuba has been brought to its knees by the blockade, and all indications suggest Mr Trump is serious about attempting to oust its communist government.