Cuba announced a landmark deal on Thursday to sell charcoal to a U.S. company, the first legal Cuban export to the United States in five decades, as part of the fragile rapprochement between the former Cold War foes.
The sale of 40 tons of charcoal derived from the woody plant marabu comes at a time when the two-year U.S.-Cuban detente looks under threat. It is also largely symbolic, given that it is worth around $17,000.
The first delivery is scheduled for Jan. 18, two days before the inauguration as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to row back on the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations unless he gets a "better deal."