Cuban thaw

The Cuban thaw (Spanish: deshielo cubano, pronounced [desˈʝelo kuˈβano]) was a normalization of Cuba–United States relations from July 2015 to June 2017, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations. In March 2016, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. The diplomatic détente was rolled back under both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

On December 17, 2014, U.S. President Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro announced the beginning of the process of normalizing relations between Cuba and the United States. The normalization agreement was secretly negotiated in preceding months, facilitated by Pope Francis and largely hosted by the Government of Canada. Meetings were held in both Canada and Vatican City. The agreement would see the lifting of some U.S. travel restrictions, fewer restrictions on remittances, U.S. banks' access to the Cuban financial system, and the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana and the Cuban embassy in Washington, which both closed in 1961 after the breakup of diplomatic relations as a result of Cuba's close alliance with the USSR. On April 14, 2015, the Obama administration announced that Cuba would be removed from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list. With no congressional action to block this within the permitted time period, Cuba was officially removed from the list on May 29, 2015. This marked a further departure by the U.S. from the Cold War conflict and its strain on Cuba–U.S. relations. On July 20, 2015, the Cuban and U.S. "interests sections" in Washington and Havana were upgraded to embassies.

On June 16, 2017, President Trump indicated a reversal of multiple policies easing the U.S. embargo against Cuba, while expressing an interest in further dialogue. Select restrictions on travel to and from Cuba reactivated on November 8th, with new restrictions imposed on "direct financial transactions" with businesses linked to the Cuban armed forces and interior ministries on November 9th. President Biden initially eased U.S. restrictions on family remittences and visa permits in 2022, but similarly levied multiple sanctions against Cuba thereafter. The U.S. government retaliated against the Cuban government for protest crackdowns and human rights abuse in 2021 and again in 2024 for similar protest crackdowns. Relations have since materially deteriorated due to stark differences on immigration, counterterrorism, civil and political rights, human rights on the island, electoral interference, disinformation campaigns, humanitarian aid, trade policy, financial claims, fugitive extradition and Cuban foreign policy.