Raul Castro
Cuba's President Raul Castro. Reuters

The president of Cuba Raul Castro said he is willing to talk with the United States over a broad of range of topics.

In a speech at the Revolution Day ceremony in the eastern province of Guantanamo, Castro said such talks could only happen if they were conducted as a “conversation between equals.”

"Any day they want, the table is set," he said.

Cuba and the U.S. broke of diplomatic relations over a half century ago as a result of Castro’s brother Fidel’s Communist takeover of the island nation.