Trump says no need for US to escalate in Cuba: 'Falling apart'

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration sees no reason to escalate pressure on Cuba, telling reporters the island nation has 'fallen apart' and its leadership has lost control. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump dismissed the prospect of deepening the ongoing pressure campaign against Havana.

When asked whether he would consider military action against Cuba akin to the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump declined to speculate. 'I don't want to say that,' he told reporters at the Maryland airbase.

Castro indicted over 1996 downing

Trump's comments came hours after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the Justice Department had filed criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro. Blanche stated that Castro and several others face indictment for conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

The charges stem from the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group 'Brothers to the Rescue,' which resulted in the deaths of four people. Court records show the indictment was filed in federal court in Miami, accusing Castro of ordering the attack.

Cuba defends 'self-defense' actions

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez sharply criticized the indictment, accusing the Trump administration of lying and distorting facts surrounding the three-decade-old incident. Writing on social media platform X, he defended the 1996 downing as legitimate self-defense within Cuba's jurisdictional waters following repeated airspace violations.

Diaz-Canel noted that Cuban authorities had alerted the US administration 'on more than a dozen occasions' about the violations, yet Washington ignored the warnings. He praised Castro's legacy as a guerrilla commander and statesman, stating that his 'ethical stature and humanistic spirit' would withstand any infamy.