WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to ask Cuba to withdraw 60 percent of its diplomats from Washington, U.S. officials said Monday, in response to last week’s U.S. move to cut its own embassy staff in Havana by a similar amount.
The U.S. request marks yet another major setback for relations between the United States and Cuba, two countries that only recently renewed diplomatic relations after a half-century of hostility. It comes as the U.S. seeks to protect its own diplomats from unexplained attacks that have harmed at least 21 Americans in Havana with ailments that affected their hearing, cognition, balance and vision.
The State Department is expected to announce the decision Tuesday, officials said, though they cautioned no decision was formalized until publicly announced.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson discussed the plan Monday with President Donald Trump, one of the officials said.