"We're freeing up Cuba," Trump says after Raul Castro indictment
Washington DC, May 21
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States was "freeing up Cuba" and would help the Cuban people following the indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro in the US.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the US had significant expertise on Cuba due to the presence of the CIA in the island nation and the Cuban roots of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a post on X, the Department of State said, "PRESIDENT TRUMP: We have a lot of people in Cuba. We have the CIA there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is from there, so we have a lot of expertise. We're going to help the Cuban people out. We're freeing up Cuba."
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez slammed the indictment, saying it only reveals the arrogance and frustration of the US towards the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution.
In a post on X, he said, "This is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation, aimed solely at padding the fabricated dossier they use to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba."
On the indictment of former President Raul Castro, Trump said, "The Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami... appreciate what the Attorney General just did today... We have Cuba on our mind, very important. It's a failing nation... They have no oil... We are there to help the families and the people... On a humanitarian basis, we are there to help."
Trump said that there will not be any escalations in Cuba. "There won't be escalations... They have really lost control of Cuba," he said.
Earlier in the day, Former Cuban President Raul Castro was indicted in the United States over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, according to a Fox News report.
Fox News reported that the indictment, returned by a Florida grand jury in April and unsealed on Wednesday, charges Castro with conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the indictment in Miami during a ceremony honouring the victims of the 1996 incident.
The indictment relates to a February 1996 incident in which four Americans - Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr, Mario de la Pena and Pablo Morales - were flying civilian aircraft when Cuban military aircraft allegedly shot them down over international waters.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who follows international politics closely, this feels like a repeat of the Cold War playbook. The indictment is clearly about the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue incident – a tragic event, but charging Raul Castro decades later reeks of political convenience. Trump's 'humanitarian' angle is thin cover for regime change posturing. Still, the Cuban people deserve better than a dictatorship or US meddling.
As an Indian, I find this ironic – the US talks about 'freeing' Cuba but has no qualms about using the CIA and sanctions to destabilize other sovereign nations. India has always maintained respect for Cuba's right to self-determination. Trump's comments are just hot air – he couldn't even free Guantanamo Bay detainees. 😤
People forget that the 1996 downing of those planes was a war crime by any standard – intentional targeting of civilians in international airspace. Raul Castro should face accountability. But Trump's framing is so self-serving, he's using it to distract from his own legal troubles and justify more aggressive US policies in Latin America. The Cuban people are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
This is pure political drama! The US has been 'freeing' countries for decades – Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya – and look how those turned out. Cuba has its own problems, but external interference only makes things worse. India should learn from this: never let a superpower use its legal system to bully smaller nations. The Castro brothers are flawed, but this indictment is a farce. 🇨🇺✊
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