‘We’re freeing up Cuba’: Trump after Raul Castro indictment

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) 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”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: We have a lot of people in Cuba. We have the CIA there. @SecRubio is from there, so we have a lot of expertise.

We’re going to help the Cuban people out. We’re freeing up Cuba. pic.twitter.com/WUY08fgonW

— Department of State (@StateDept) May 20, 2026

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”.

La pretendida acusación contra el General de Ejército Raúl Castro Ruz, que acaba de comunicar el Gobierno estadounidense, solo evidencia la soberbia y la frustración que le provoca a los representantes del imperio, la inquebrantable firmeza de la Revolución Cubana y la unidad y… pic.twitter.com/0r0wV0kUX9

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 20, 2026

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)