As the US increases pressure on Cuba and the economic and humanitarian situation on the Island deteriorates rapidly, a new figure has emerged in the delicate relationship between the two countries: Raul Rodriguez Castro. The grandson of Raul Castro – a former president and the brother of Fidel Castro – appeared sitting next to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel when he confirmed that negotiations were taking place between the US and Cuba. Rodriguez Castro later attended a press conference where Diaz-Canel addressed the island’s economic crisis, which had intensified in recent months after the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade that has repeatedly plunged the island into darkness. He has also been appearing more often in public in Cuba, while rumours have emerged about secret negotiations between him and Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American secretary of state. His emergence marks a break with past practice. “There used to be an effort to protect Raul Rodriguez Castro and let him evolve backstage,” said Thomas Long, a Latin America specialist at the University of Warwick. Rodriguez Castro, 41, is the son of Déborah Castro Espín, the eldest daughter of Raul Castro, and Rodríguez López-Calleja, who led the state-owned holding company that manages most of the Cuban economy. But ever since Trump began speaking of regime change on the island, speculation has emerged that Rodriguez Castro could take on a leadership role. The Trump administration seems to be seeking Diaz-Canel’s ouster from power but is not pushing for action against the Castro family, according to a New York Times report, which cited official sources who preferred to remain anonymous.