Raul Castro’s grandson allegedly tries to privately get in touch with Trump — newspaper

WASHINGTON, April 17. /TASS/. Raul Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of late Cuban revolutionary leader Raul Castro, allegedly asked a wealthy Havana businessman to personally deliver a message to US President Donald Trump, bypassing diplomatic channels, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. The letter, which was formatted as a diplomatic note, was supposed to be delivered to the White House last week. In it, Castro proposed that the US leader conclude a series of economic and investment agreements, as well as lift American sanctions. The letter also emphasized that Cuba is preparing for a US invasion. However, 37-year-old entrepreneur Roberto Carlos Gonzalez was sent back to Havana from Miami after US Customs and Border Protection officers stopped him at the airport and confiscated the letter. The White House did not respond to inquiries about whether the US leader had received the letter. The newspaper was unable to determine why Gonzalez was stopped by law enforcement at the airport. The Wall Street Journal noted that the Cuban government was attempting to contact Trump directly, bypassing Secretary of State Marco Rubio who consistently criticizes Havana’s policies. According to analysts, the US president may conclude an economic agreement with Cuba. On March 5, the US leader announced that Washington intends to develop a further course of action regarding Cuba after concluding the military operation against Iran. Previously, he had repeatedly said that Cuba’s government and economy were on the verge of collapse following the cessation of oil supplies to the island nation from Venezuela under pressure from the US. On February 27, Trump stated that the US could carry out a "friendly takeover of Cuba." On March 13, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel reported that Havana and Washington had held talks that "were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue on bilateral differences." Meanwhile, Axios reported, citing sources, that Rubio is secretly discussing the island’s future with Castro’s grandson.