Postpublished at 21:19 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
And that rounds off our live coverage of developments. You can stay up to date with the latest on this story here. Thanks for joining us.
Summary
The US and Cuba have begun historic talks about restoring diplomatic relations
A US embassy in Havana is being planned, among a raft of measures
Cuban leader Raul Castro and US President Barack Obama both made TV addresses
"These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked," said Mr Obama
The move marks a dramatic shift in a relationship that has been strained since the Cold War era
US citizen Alan Gross was released earlier from a Cuban prison, while the US freed three Cubans jailed for spying
Postpublished at 21:19 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Postpublished at 21:16 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Protests against the thawing relations continued in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.
Image source, EPAPostpublished at 21:15 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Suzanne Kianpour
BBC News, Washingtontweets, external: "This isn't just about US-#Cuba relations. Senior US officials say will be trans-formative in US policy in Latin America overall"
Economic boostpublished at 21:15 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Kim Gittleson
BBC business reporter, New York"It could signal a shift from money flowing into Cuba's state-run sector and into the hands of private citizens."
Read Kim's analysis of what this means for US and Cuban economies.
Postpublished at 21:12 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
BBC Monitoring
on how Russian state television is reporting the story.
"This news has become a real sensation. The White House regards its policy in relations with the Island of Freedom as a failure. Decades later, the Americans have acknowledged that the Cuban embargo did not correspond to the USA's interests. Although this policy, as the White House says, was pursued for the best of intentions, as always, however, it had no effect."
Rescue missionpublished at 20:57 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Senators Pat Leahy and Jeff Flake, and Congressman Chris Van Hollen flew to Cuba to bring Gross back to the US.
Image source, Getty ImagesMissing teethpublished at 20:53 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
The BBC's Suzanne Kianpour was at the Alan Gross press conference earlier in Washington DC.
"The family spokesperson had warned the press about his missing teeth before he walked out - and for a man who'd been held captive for five years, there was a certain youthful candour about his concern for his appearance. He urged the press to give him time and privacy to 'get his teeth fixed' before any interviews - punctuating his request with 'claro?' - in a surprisingly authentic Cuban accent."
Postpublished at 20:39 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Jeb Bush, who was Florida governor and is considering running for president, told USA Today, external: "I don't think we should be negotiating with a repressive regime".
Image source, APPostpublished at 20:36 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
More details have been emerging about the second person released by Cuba as part of the deal. He was a Cuban male who gave crucial intelligence to the US - and paid the price.
"This man, whose sacrifices were known only to a few, has spent nearly 20 years in a Cuban prison," the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said in a statement.
There's a profile of this unnamed detainee here.
Mood in Miamipublished at 20:30 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Liliet Heredero, BBC Mundo, Miami
"This will have a huge impact on Cuba but it will prove controversial and won't be easy to implement."
You can watch Liliet's interview in which she talks about the mood in Miami.
Postpublished at 20:18 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
A New York Times editorial , externaldescribes this as "a bold move that ends one of the most misguided chapters in American foreign policy".
Postpublished at 20:13 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Suzanne Kianpour
BBC News, Washingtontweets, external: "Senior admin officials: 'if there's any US foreign policy that's passed it's expiration date, it's US-#Cuba policy'"
Postpublished at 20:08 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Anti-Castro activists in Miami made their feelings heard in protests denouncing the Cuban leader.
Image source, ReutersPostpublished at 20:02 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Ignacio de los Reyes
BBC Mundo, Buenos AiresArgentine media highlighted the intermediation of Pope Francis in the dialogue between Cuba and the United States, as noted by Obama himself.
The Pope is trending on social networks such as Twitter in this part of the world. Francis was already a highly rated leader in Argentina. His role in these negotiations secure a further boost in his popularity.
Postpublished at 19:50 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Kim Gittleson
BBC business reporter, New Yorktweets, external: "Spoke w/ cigar seller in FL, he told me he's sending celebratory boxes to both Castro & Obama 'for a job well done'"
Postpublished at 19:50 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Daniel Pardo, BBC Mundo, Caracas
The announcement had great impact in Venezuela, where all news related to Cuba is widely covered. It happened just a week after the US issued sanctions against Venezuelan officials, which were strongly condemned by President Nicolas Maduro.
On Monday, he led a protest against the US but on Wednesday, Maduro celebrated the release of three Cubans detained in the US.
"We have to acknowledge that this is a courageous move from president Obama", he said during a Mercosur meeting he was attending in Buenos Aires.
Postpublished at 19:44 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Earlier, Alan Gross made jokes with reporters about his teeth, but his confinement had clearly taken its toll.
Image source, AFPPostpublished at 19:40 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News
continues....
Cuba has stopped exporting revolution to Latin America. In fact, it's mediating the most successful attempt so far to achieve peace between the Colombian government and FARC rebels, making its inclusion on the US list of states that sponsor terrorism look increasingly out-dated.
Latin American countries think so: they've reintegrated Cuba into regional bodies by inviting it to the Summit of the Americas in April. President Obama is also expected to attend, which perhaps helped focus his mind as he ponders how to shape his legacy during his remaining two years in office.
Postpublished at 19:39 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News
The release of Alan Gross was essential to any diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Cuba, but internal political changes in both countries had already created a climate where detente was conceivable.
In the US, demographic shifts in Miami have softened the political influence of the anti-Castro exiles: younger Cuban Americans and recent immigrants are more open to engagement. In Cuba, limited economic reforms carried out by Raul Castro have begun to relax the tight grip of the state, and pique the interest of American business.
Postpublished at 19:34 Greenwich Mean Time 17 December 2014
ABC's political director Rick Klein tweets, external about the pro-baseball league's reaction to the news: "MLB is watching... 'will keep our Clubs informed if this different direction may impact the manner in which they conduct business' in Cuba".