Top U.S. general meets Cuban military officials at Guantanamo Bay

Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, met Friday with senior Cuban military officials at the perimeter of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, according to statements from both the U.S. and Cuban militaries.

Donovan held a "brief exchange on operational security matters" with Cuban Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, the first deputy minister of Cuba's chief of the general staff, and other senior Cuban military leaders. The meeting took place at the edge of the American naval facility on the island.

During the visit, Donovan conducted a perimeter security assessment of the U.S. base and discussed the safety of service members and their families, as well as operational readiness with base officials, according to U.S. Southern Command.

Cuba's defense ministry confirmed the meeting and described it as "positive" in a statement on social media. Both delegations agreed to maintain communication between the two sides, Cuban officials said.

The encounter marks a rare high-level military engagement between the countries. Historically, American and Cuban officers have held periodic "fence-line meetings" to discuss security matters at Guantanamo Bay, a longstanding point of tension between Washington and Havana. Cuba has long regarded the naval station, which predates the Castro government, as an illegal occupation of its territory.

The meeting occurs amid heightened U.S. pressure on Cuba. U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday that the Justice Department is prepared to pursue extradition of Raul Castro, one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution, to face charges in U.S. court. Blanche stated the department would "do everything we can to get him here," citing charges related to the 1996 incident in which the Cuban Air Force shot down two civilian aircraft.

U.S. Southern Command noted in its statement that Guantanamo Bay "constitutes a vital operational and logistical center that supports U.S. military efforts to counter threats that undermine security, stability and democracy in our hemisphere."