What is the US endgame in Cuba after Castro's indictment? | Global News Podcast

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Published 5/21/2026, 8:15:26 PM · Updated 5/22/2026, 12:57:18 AMBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team

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  • The US justice department has indicted the former Cuban president, Raúl Castro, on four counts of murder and conspiracy to kill US nationals.
  • The charges relate to the shooting down of two US civilian planes by Cuban fighter jets off the coast of Florida in 1996. The Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the charges carry no legal basis and "add to the file they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba." Our correspondent in Havana, Will Grant, tells us some in Cuba fear the island will face a similar fate to its ally Venezuela, after President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces.
  • President Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that the indictment could lead to further escalation, and said the US is "freeing up Cuba".
  • For months the US has been intensifying its pressure on Cuba, imposing a fuel blockade that's triggered sustained power outages....

Published May 21, 2026.


📌 Source: BBC News

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