US Southern Command chief meets Cuban officers in Cuba

The top U.S. military commander for Latin America held a rare meeting with senior Cuban military officials on Friday near the perimeter of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. U.S. Southern Command stated that General Francis Donovan met with Cuban Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo and other leaders for a brief exchange focused on operational security matters.

The encounter occurred amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the region, including the recent arrival of the USS Nimitz carrier strike group in the Caribbean. It also followed a warning days earlier from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who stated that any U.S. military assault on the island would result in what he termed a bloodbath with incalculable consequences.

During his visit, General Donovan also conducted a security assessment of the Guantanamo Bay base and discussed force protection and operational readiness with base officials, according to the command.

This meeting represents at least the second high-level contact between U.S. and Cuban officials in recent weeks. In early May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana for talks with officials from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior and...