HAVANA, May 14 – A U.S. government plane was seen departing Havana`s international airport on Thursday afternoon, according to a Reuters witness, days after U.S. President Donald Trump said the two longtime adversaries were “going to talk.”
Several people could be seen boarding the blue and white plane carrying luggage prior to its departure around 2:45 p.m. ET. The plane had been parked at Terminal 5 at the Jose Marti airport.
Trump has heaped pressure on the Caribbean island nation since returning to office last year, and threatened that Cuba “is next” after U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro, the president of longtime Cuban ally Venezuela, in January.
Officials from both countries acknowledged earlier this year they were in talks, but negotiations appeared to founder amid a U.S. fuel blockade that has starved the island of fuel and crippled power generation.
U.S. State Department and White House officials declined immediate comment.
Widespread protests broke out across Havana on Wednesday evening as the blackouts in some parts of the city spanned 24 hours or more, threatening to spoil frozen food reserves and making sleep all but impossible for many residents. REUTERS
