Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general for U.S. affairs at Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in remarks published on April 20 by Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma that discussions were underway.

"This is a delicate matter which, as we have already said, we are handling discreetly," Garcia del Toro said.

He confirmed that "a meeting between Cuban and U.S. delegations recently took place here in Cuba," adding that U.S. participants included undersecretaries of state, while Cuba's delegation was led at the deputy minister level.

"During the meeting, neither party set deadlines or made coercive statements, as reported by the US press. All information exchange was conducted with respect and professionalism," he said.

As Evgenia Filimianova reports for The Epoch Times, Cuba framed the discussions as heavily focused on easing U.S. economic pressure, particularly restrictions affecting energy supplies.