The US Embassy in Havana did not specify details of the meeting.
MIAMI, United States. – The head of the United States mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, held a meeting with the acting commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Lieutenant General Evan L. Pettus, to discuss “the situation in Cuba and the Caribbean,” as reported by the United States Embassy in Cuba in a post on Facebook.
Pettus assumed his position on December 12, after the relief of Admiral Alvin Holsey.
The embassy did not specify other details of the exchange, but the meeting is known in the midst of a public agenda held by Hammer in the United States in recent weeks, particularly after a meeting with the Secretary of State, the Cuban-American Marco Rubio, at the White House.
“Our head of mission, Mike Hammer, met today with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in his office at the White House about the situation in Cuba and our firm support for ordinary Cubans,” reported the United States Embassy in Cuba on January 9.
Later, in the context of U.S. humanitarian assistance to communities affected by Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, Hammer also met with Spencer Chretien, emergency humanitarian assistance coordinator at the State Department, and Jeremy Lewin, undersecretary of state for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian and Religious Freedom Affairs.
On January 14, the US head of mission in Havana also met in Miami with Dariel Fernandezcounty tax collector, with the goal of “supporting the Cuban people” and “advancing the fight for freedom, democracy and human rights,” according to story Fernández himself in his account x.
Hammer is the top US diplomatic representative in Havana. In May 2025, he announced in Miami the intention to impose more sanctions against Cuban officials, in line with the toughening policy towards Havana promoted by the Trump Administration. Days later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) of the Cuban regime issued a “verbal warning” for what it described as inappropriate behavior and violation of diplomatic norms.
