President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro met Monday as part of Obama's historic visit to the Cuban capital marking the revitalized relations between the two countries.
It was their third face-to-face encounter since the two countries began to normalize relations 15 months ago, but it was the first on Castro's home turf and the first visit of a U.S. president to the island in 88 years.
Obama and Castro first reviewed on honor guard at the Palace of the Revolution and listened to the national anthems of both countries. They are scheduled to have two back-to-back meetings, the most extensive high-level talks between the United States and Cuba in decades. The first is one-on-one, with only translators, security and perhaps a close aide in the room. Afterward, the meeting will be expanded to include top diplomats in both delegations.