Diplomats in Havana Prepare Evacuation as Cuba Negotiates in Secret

Cuba’s crisis has entered a new phase. As Cubans endure blackouts across 54% of the territory and fuel shortages paralyze basic services, a parallel drama is unfolding in Havana’s diplomatic quarters that could define the island’s future.

Embassies Prepare to Leave

According to an exclusive investigation by The Guardian, more than five senior ambassadors in Havana have expressed frustration with Washington’s strategy and have begun drawing down their diplomatic missions.

“There’s talk of human rights, and that this is the year Cuba changes — but little talk of what happens afterwards,” one diplomat told the British newspaper.

Another ambassador was more direct: “Embassies are built on planning for the unexpected — hopefully before it becomes expected.”

Secret Negotiations in Mexico

Diplomatic sources and reports from El País reveal that General Alejandro Castro Espín — son of 94-year-old Raúl Castro and former head of counterintelligence — is believed to be leading secret talks with US officials in Mexico.

Castro Espín previously served as lead negotiator during secret bilateral talks under Obama that led to the restoration of diplomatic relations. However, according to The Guardian, “there are no signs of progress yet.”

Rubio Opens a Door in Munich

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered remarks at the Munich Security Conference that some interpret as a possible opening. In an interview with Bloomberg, he said giving the Cuban people “more freedom, not just political freedom but economic freedom” could be a “potential way forward.”

The statement contrasts with the more aggressive posture of the Trump administration, which in January signed an executive order imposing tariffs on any country supplying Cuba with oil.

WFP Warns: “It’s a Matter of Weeks”

Perhaps most alarming is the warning from the World Food Programme. Étienne Labande, WFP’s country director in Cuba, stated: “We’re already seeing the impact in the availability of fresh produce in the cities.”

The organization, which maintained a low-key presence on the island for recovery from 2025’s Hurricane Melissa, is now planning for a far larger crisis.

Diplomats expressed alarm at how fast the lack of fuel — for electricity, water, and food transport — could cause extreme suffering. “It’s a matter of weeks,” one warned. “The view is that people in rural villages like Viñales may be OK, but those in the cities would be at terrible risk.”

Cuba Between Resistance and Adaptation

While diplomats plan, Cubans improvise. A man in Havana’s La Lisa neighborhood makes cast aluminum and galvanized zinc burners for cooking over wood — $8 for a single, $15 for a double. In Sancti Spíritus, a woman joked bitterly about “making a will to bequeath the charcoal stove to my daughter as her only inheritance.”

A motorcycle taxi driver in Havana posted on Facebook: “People with chemotherapy, dialysis, and emergencies at Calixto hospital travel free.”

The situation feels, according to one Havana resident quoted by The Guardian, “like the 1962 missile crisis. The sun was shining then too, and people went about their business, under a cloud of anxiety.”

What Comes Next?

The outcome of the alleged negotiations in Mexico could determine whether Cuba undergoes a negotiated transition or a humanitarian collapse. With airlines suspending flights, emergency measures already in effect, and the WFP preparing for the worst, the international community watches with growing concern.

As one ambassador in Havana put it: “We’re trying to keep a cool head.”