Trump and Rubio Give Final Offer to the Castros and Díaz-Canel: “Off-Ramp” to Cede Power Without Forced Exile or End Up Like Maduro in Prison
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are pushing an economic agreement with the Cuban regime that includes an “off-ramp” — a negotiated exit — to allow the Castro family and President Miguel Díaz-Canel to cede power without forced exile, according to an exclusive report from The Telegraph.
The plan would allow these leaders to remain on the island in exchange for concessions in ports, energy, and tourism, with possible selective relief in sanctions.
The conversations involve Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro, who maintains key influence. Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, leads the high-level negotiations, as confirmed by Trump in public statements.
SECRETARY RUBIO: We will not stop until every single unjustly detained American is brought home. pic.twitter.com/ax8gU1tXPe
— Department of State (@StateDept) March 9, 2026
The president has said that “Cuba is in its final moment of life as it is” and that an agreement will be reached “very easily.”
This pressure intensified after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026, in Caracas by US forces.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Americans cannot be used as a commodity to grab onto and then trade in the future. That cycle has to stop, and that's why the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention designation now exists. pic.twitter.com/1psESG8gzx
— Department of State (@StateDept) March 9, 2026