Rubio holds secret talks with Raul Castro's grandson, Axios reports

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been holding secret talks with the grandson and caretaker of Cuba's aging de facto dictator, Raul Castro, as the US puts unprecedented pressure on Havana's regime, three sources told Axios, Report informs.

The talks between Rubio and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are bypassing official Cuban government channels. They show that the Trump administration sees the 94-year-old revolutionary as the communist island's true decision-maker.

"I wouldn't call these 'negotiations' as much as 'discussions' about the future," a senior Trump administration official said.

Rubio and his team see the 41-year-old grandson and his circle as representing younger, business-minded Cubans for whom revolutionary communism has failed - and who see value in rapprochement with the US.

"Our position - the US government's position - is the regime has to go," the senior official said. "But what exactly that looks like is up to [President Trump] and he has yet to decide. Rubio is still in talks with the grandson."