JOSH LEDERMAN, Associated Press
MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) — Brushing past profound differences, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro will sit down at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution. Their historic meeting Monday will offer critical clues about whether Obama’s sharp U-turn in policy will be fully reciprocated.

The Obamas set foot on Cuban soil, marking the beginning of the First Family’s historic visit #CubaVisit 🇨🇺🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MI7HKs9U7b

— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) March 20, 2016

 

For Obama, there’s no better place than Havana to show engagement can do more than isolation to bring about tangible change in Cuba. Yet for Cubans, the glaring question is whether their own government is ready to prove the ambitious diplomatic opening is more than just talk.

Obama opened the first presidential visit to Cuba in nearly 90 years on Sunday when he landed in Havana. Strolling through grand cobblestoned plazas with his wife and daughters, Obama created an indelible image of the peacemaking that he and Castro are pursuing.