American Alan Gross arrived in the United States after being released from a Cuban prison early Wednesday, as part of an agreement that also includes the release of three Cubans jailed in the United States, senior US officials said.
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) December 17, 2014
Gross was held in Cuba for five years.
It's the first step in a sweeping overhaul of U.S.-Cuba relations announced by President Barack Obama shortly after Gross' arrival.
"I do not believe we can do the same thing for over five decades and expect a different result," Obama said. "We should not add the burden of sanctions on the Cuban people we are trying to help.
"We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interest."
Speaking in Havana at the same time as Obama's speech, Cuban President Raul Castro announced that his nation would "reestablish diplomatic relations" with the U.S.
Despite stated long-term goals of easing Cuban restrictions since Castro took over as president in 2010, the Obama administration had said it considered Gross’ imprisonment a massive obstacle.
While only Congress can officially overturn international embargoes, President Obama announced sweeping changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba, the most significant since embargoes were first imposed in 1961.
"It's a historic day for US-Cuba relations," says Mr Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs from Washington, D.C.
"There is no country in the world the U.S. acted with such animosity as it did towards Cuba."
The United States and Cuba are in talks to open embassies in Havana and Washington.
Changes will also include the relaxing of travel and economic restrictions.
Secretary of State John Kerry has also indicated that he will be reviewing Cuba’s spot on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The US is also set to resume U.S.-Cuba banking, increase allowed remittances, and expand exports of building materials for entrepreneurs and private residences.
The new trade rules mean even Cuban cigars can be legally brought back to American soil.
“None of this is seen as a reward. All of this is seen as a way of promoting change in Cuba because everything we have done in the past has demonstrably failed,” a senior official said Wednesday.
“[Cuba] is still an authoritarian state and we still have profound differences with this government. But if we hope for change with Cuba, we must try for a different approach. And we believe that considerably more engagement with the Cuban people and the Cuban government is the way to do that.”
As part of the renewed interest in diplomacy, Cuba is set to release 53 other prisoners requested by the United States. Cuba also promises to grant Internet access to its citizens, and to allow Red Cross and United Nations officials back into the country.
Social media has been quick to pick up on the news, with most taking it to mean the US' decades-long economic embargo on Cuba will soon be over.
Very happy that #AlanGross is out. The #Embargo is a total failure and we need to normalize relations like the rest of the world.
— Brian Susbielles (@bsusbielles) December 17, 2014
Gross, a USAID worker who’d been in jail in Cuba since 2009, was sentenced to 15 years for taking Internet equipment to Jewish groups in Cuba under a program the US says was aimed at democracy-building, but which the Cuban government viewed as subversive. The New York Times recently ran an op-ed calling for a ‘prisoner swap’ of Alan Gross and the Five to put an end to the impasse between Havana and Washington.
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) December 17, 2014
Earlier this month, the US State Department told Sputnik that “securing Alan Gross’ release remains a top priority of the United States. We reiterate our call for the Cuban government to release Alan Gross immediately.”
