CBS News: CIA chief brings Maduro capture operative to Cuba talks

CIA Director John Ratcliffe brought a paramilitary operator involved in a recent US mission targeting then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to a rare meeting with senior Cuban officials in Havana last week, according to multiple sources cited by CBS News.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana and follows months of increased US pressure on Cuba.

According to officials familiar with the meeting, Cuban authorities have claimed that 32 of their military and police officers were killed during the January operation linked to Maduro’s capture in Venezuela.

Sources said Ratcliffe introduced the operator to Cuban officials, describing him as involved in the operation, a move interpreted by some observers as a deliberate signal.

The CIA declined to comment.

A CIA official said Ratcliffe delivered a broader message during the talks, stating that the US is "prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes."

The meeting reportedly followed warnings from Washington, including threats of steep tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba, which have contributed to severe fuel shortages on the island.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Cuba must undertake major reforms, while President Donald Trump has floated the idea of a “friendly takeover” of the country, which has been governed by a communist system since 1959.

By Sabina Mammadli