PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 18th, 2026: Inside Rubio’s Secret Talks Over Cuba’s Future & & Ukraine Negotiations Stall

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:

• First up — we’re getting a revealing look at the White House’s quiet strategy for Cuba, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly opens backchannel discussions not with Havana’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, but with the grandson of Raul Castro.

  
  

• Later in the show — another round of trilateral peace talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine wraps up with little to show. Despite diplomatic efforts, the battlefield reality remains largely unchanged, raising fresh questions about whether negotiations can gain traction anytime soon.

  
  

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