Cuba’s leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday his government is engaged in talks with the United States, confirming earlier reporting by the Miami Herald about the contacts.

In footage of a government meeting aired on state television early morning, he said Cuban officials have recently held talks with representatives of the United States government.

“These talks have been aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors have facilitated these exchanges,” he said. Crucially, he added, the exchanges have aimed to moved away from confrontation, he added.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has said repeatedly that his administratio has been in contact with people in Cuba. He has urged the Cuban government to make “a deal” with the United States after he moved to cut off oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico to Cuba as leverage to pressure Cuban leaders to negotiate. Trump said recently Cuba was about to “fall” and that Cuban leaders were eager to make an agreement.

The purpose of the talks, Diaz-Canel said, “is, first, to identify the bilateral problems that require solutions based on their severity and impact, and second, to find solutions to these identified problems. Furthermore, the talks aim to determine the willingness of both sides to take concrete actions for the benefit of the people of both countries. And, in addition, they seek to identify areas of cooperation to confront threats and guarantee the security and peace of both nations, as well as in the region where we live and work, which is the Latin American and Caribbean region.”

The Miami Herald reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s advisers met with Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, in Saint Kitts last month and that representatives from both governments were expected to meet later also in Saint Kitts. U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart told the Miami Herald.that the Trump administration has been having conversations with several people in Raúl Castro’s close circle, similar to discussions held with Venezuela’s strongman Nicolás Maduro before he was captured in a military raid earlier this year.

But this is the first time the Cuban government has acknowledged the high-level discussions.

“It is important to remember that it has not been, nor is it now, the practice of the leadership of the Cuban Revolution to respond to speculative campaigns on these types of issues,” Diaz-Canel said. “This is an issue that is unfolding as part of a very sensitive process, conducted with seriousness and responsibility because it affects bilateral relations between the two nations. It demands enormous and arduous efforts to find a solution and create spaces for understanding that will allow us to move forward and distance ourselves from confrontation in the exchanges that have taken place.”

“We have expressed—that is, the Cuban side has expressed—the willingness to carry out this process on the basis of equality and respect for the political systems of both states, for the sovereignty and self-determination of our government,” Díaz-Canel said.

He is expected to delivered remarks during a press conference on television in Havana at 7:30 am this morning.

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