The grandson of former president Raul Castro, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, attends an event at the Colon Cemetery in Havana in January Rodriguez Castro, reportedly involved in negotiations with the United States, was shown on Cuban state television for the first time March13 participating in two key government meetings. File Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA
Cuba’s Communist Party has publicly endorsed Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, a grandson of former leader Raúl Castro known as “El Cangrejo,” as an official intermediary in diplomatic contacts with the United States.
Elier Ramírez Cañedo, deputy head of the party Central Committee’s Ideological Department, confirmed Rodríguez Castro’s role in a social media post, saying he was participating in the negotiations “by decision of the country’s highest leadership.”
Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reinforced the government’s account of the talks between Havana and Washington in a post on X on Friday.
Without directly mentioning Rodríguez Castro, Marrero supported the version presented by the Communist Party and defended the negotiating team designated by the country’s leadership.
“As President @DiazCanelB has stated, in keeping with the Revolution’s consistent policy, talks have been held with representatives of the U.S. government aimed at seeking solutions through dialogue to bilateral differences,” Marrero wrote.
Como ha expresado el Presidente @DiazCanelB, en correspondencia con la consistente política de la Revolución se han sostenido conversaciones con representantes del gobierno de EEUU, orientadas a buscar soluciones, por la vía del diálogo, a las diferencias bilaterales.— Manuel Marrero Cruz (@MMarreroCruz) July 10, 2026
Marrero’s message also emphasized that the negotiating group was acting under instructions from the “army general,” a reference that again placed Raúl Castro at the center of Cuba’s political decision-making, despite his lack of a formal government or Communist Party post, digital news outlet CubaNet reported.
The institutional defense of Rodríguez Castro came after his recent public appearances prompted an unusual wave of criticism from some figures aligned with Cuba’s political system.
According to Diario de Cuba, the controversy began after USA Today published an extensive profile of Rodríguez Castro that described him as someone prepared by his grandparents for a political role, aware that he had lived a privileged life and convinced he could help mediate an agreement with the United States that would allow Cuba to prosper.
Rodríguez Castro holds no formal political or diplomatic position in President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s government. However, he said he regularly has access to classified reports from the Interior Ministry, the armed forces and the Foreign Ministry, which he said he discusses daily with his grandfather.
USA Today also described Rodríguez Castro’s affluent lifestyle, including his use of luxury goods and frequent international travel. Although he acknowledged enjoying privileges unavailable to most Cubans, he attributed them to gifts from wealthy friends and admirers.
Cuban dissident media reported that several figures aligned with the government criticized Rodríguez Castro despite the Communist Party’s public support for him.
“No familiarity or joviality on the part of a revolutionary leader can excuse bypassing the country’s institutions, even symbolically,” said Israel Rojas, a musician closely associated with the government.
Rojas also criticized the type of man he said Rodríguez Castro represents, arguing that it contradicts the ideals of the Cuban Revolution.
“Men and women who pay the price of the embargo and internal blunders. Far removed from luxuries, yachts, indecent gifts and VIP areas,” Rojas said, according to digital news outlet 14ymedio.
