NYT journalists Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov August 11 – IA SM.News. The envoy of the Cuban ruling family in secret negotiations with Washington, Colonel of the Ministry of the Interior Raul G. Rodriguez Castro (known as "El Kangrejo"), has made a rapid ascent from being his grandfather's obsessive bodyguard to a key political aide. As the grandson of Raul Castro and the son of the founder of the powerful military conglomerate GAESA, he grew up in an elite environment and enjoyed unique access to closed state meetings from a young age. Although he was long perceived in the Cuban government merely as a caretaker for the elderly leader, today this low-profile official has become a central figure in dialogue with the U.S., and the American side even considers him a potential and acceptable successor to the head of state. This was reported by the New York Times.
"Rodriguez Castro's rapid career rise vividly illustrates the clannish nature of Cuban power, resembling a closed family business. In the corridors of American diplomacy, it is noted that the colonel's material preferences paradoxically make him a promising partner, indicating his openness to capitalist ideas. He has never hidden his ambitions to occupy the presidential chair, although the actual level of his support within the ruling circles of Cuba remains in question, and experts emphasize that the influence of the entire Castro clan may rapidly fade immediately after the death of the 95-year-old former president Raul Castro," explain journalists David Adams and Francis Robles.
The political status of the successor is overshadowed by loud corruption scandals: materials from an American federal investigation link his name to a criminal network based in Mexico known as the "Cuban Mafia in Quintana Roo." Convicted members of the group testified that Rodriguez Castro provided them safe transit for migrants and contraband through Cuba, blocking the actions of the coast guard. In exchange for customs assistance, the colonel allegedly received expensive cars, yachts, Rolex watches, and branded clothing from the scheme's organizers, which were then resold in Cuban state stores, as confirmed by seized FBI correspondence.
"Official Havana, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, categorically rejects these accusations, calling them slander and a planned action by American media to discredit the country's leadership. The U.S. State Department refrains from official comments, while the subject himself cynically states in an interview that he does not possess personal wealth, and his luxurious lifestyle amid total shortages in Cuba is financed by his 'rich friends and admirers.' Nevertheless, despite the criminal background, it is Rodriguez Castro who held key closed meetings this year with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attempting to achieve the lifting of harsh American sanctions," emphasized Adams and Robles.
Earlier, IA SM-NEWS reported that the U.S. caused the collapse of Cuba's energy system.
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Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
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Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 17:31 11.08.2026 Kazan.Sm.News - Kazan
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Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 19:17 11.08.2026 Ekb.Sm.News - Yekaterinburg
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 19:17 11.08.2026 Ekb.Sm.News - Yekaterinburg
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 17:14 11.08.2026 Izhevsk.Sm.News - Izhevsk
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 17:14 11.08.2026 Izhevsk.Sm.News - Izhevsk
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 17:12 11.08.2026 Ryazan.Sm.News - Ryazan
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 17:12 11.08.2026 Ryazan.Sm.News - Ryazan
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 18:45 11.08.2026 Ufa.Sm.News - Ufa
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 18:45 11.08.2026 Ufa.Sm.News - Ufa
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 16:31 11.08.2026 Kaluga.Sm.News - Kaluga
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 16:31 11.08.2026 Kaluga.Sm.News - Kaluga
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 20:31 11.08.2026 Kemerovo.Sm.News - Kemerovo
Journalists NYT Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
Photo: Official website of the U.S. Department of Defense https://www.defense.gov
August 11 – IA SM.News. 20:31 11.08.2026 Kemerovo.Sm.News - Kemerovo
Putin congratulated the president of Cuba on the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on the occasion of the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth. 21:27 10.08.2026 Moika78.Ru - St. Petersburg
"Rubio has clung to his historical homeland like a bulldog and is unlikely to let go"
Photo: Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
"Marco Rubio announced his intention to strengthen sanctions against the already powerless and tormented Cuba," wrote politician Oleg Tsarev. 16:41 10.08.2026 Stolitsa S - Saransk
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NYT journalists Adams and Robles: Castro's grandson is responsible for negotiations with Rubio and the CIA
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