Negotiators from the U.S. and Cuba will meet in Washington on Thursday to discuss restoring diplomatic relations and reopening embassies between the two countries. An anonymous State Department official told The New York Times that the U.S. and Cuba are "closer than we have been in the past" to a deal.
In December, President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced that they would restore ties between the two countries, in an effort to fix relations that were broken during the Cold War. The U.S. and Cuban governments closed their embassies in each others' countries after President Dwight Eisenhower ended diplomatic relations in 1961.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A few sticking points still remain, however. Cuba has not confirmed that U.S. diplomats "would be able to travel freely on the island," the Times notes. Under the current restrictions, Cuban diplomats in the U.S. must stay in Washington and New York, and U.S. diplomats in Cuba need permission to leave Havana. Obama also plans to remove Cuba from the State Department's list of nations that sponsor international terrorism; officials expect Cuba will be removed from the list next week.
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Autumn Budget: will Rachel Reeves raid the rich?Talking Point To fill Britain’s financial black hole, the Chancellor will have to consider everything – except an income tax rise
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
