President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

The administration of the current US President Joe Biden plans to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This will occur as part of an agreement reached with the help of the Catholic Church regarding the release of political prisoners on the island,

Biden’s move just before he leaves office highlights his extremely cautious—and, in effect, hardline—approach to U.S.-Cuba policy.

The determination by the outgoing Biden administration is likely to be reversed as early as next week, when Donald Trump takes office.

It is unclear how long this new status will last. Trump, who takes office again next week, has tapped Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of State, and he is likely to be approved. Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, is expected to take an especially hard line on Cuba and might quickly attempt to reverse the terrorism designation.

The Biden administration lifted Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday, four years after the Trump White House issued the designation.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday is expected to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The Biden administration sought to warn Russia's Vladimir Putin off after pallets of cargo from Russia burst into flames after being flown to warehouses in Europe, The New York Times reported on Monday.