By Sky News US Team
American Alan Gross has been released from Cuba after five years in prison, signalling a potential shift in US-Cuba relations.
Mr Gross is on a US government plane bound for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, and is expected to arrive around midday.
Cuba also released a non-American "asset" with Mr Gross, US officials said.
Their release was part of a reported prisoner exchange that included three Cubans imprisoned in Florida for spying.
The Vatican played a key role in helping both sides reach the agreement, said US Senator Dick Durbin, who hailed President Barack Obama for moving toward better relations with Cuba.
"I was overjoyed by this news," Sen Durbin told Reuters.
The White House said the President will make a statement on US-Cuba relations at 12pm (5pm GMT).
Cuban President Raul Castro is also scheduled to make an announcement, according to state television.
Mr Gross' imprisonment has been a major sticking point in improving ties between the two countries, which have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961.
American officials said the US government will hold talks with Cuba to normalise full diplomatic relations, including the opening of a US embassy in Havana.
Mr Obama is expected to ease a decades-old embargo and travel restrictions that prevent most Americans from travelling to Cuba, officials said.
US Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat, criticised the decision to release Cuban spies in exchange for Mr Gross' freedom.
He said Mr Obama's "actions have vindicated the brutal behaviour of the Cuban government".
"Trading Mr Gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous precedent," Sen Mendendez said in a news release.
Mr Gross, 65, was arrested on 3 December 2009.
The US government contractor was sentenced to 15 years in prison for importing banned technology and trying to establish clandestine internet services for Cuban Jews.
At the time of his arrest, Mr Gross was working as a subcontractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a government agency that works to promote democracy on the island.
In April, Mr Gross pressed President Obama to get personally involved in negotiating his release.
He announced at the time that he was going on a hunger strike "to object to mistruths, deceptions, and inaction by both governments".
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