The Donald Trump administration is ratcheting up pressure on Cuba by indicting former President Raul Castro, known as the country's "power behind the scenes."
On the 20th (local time), after delivering a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, President Trump told reporters on his way back to the White House that the indictment of former President Castro "will be one of the most important things to many Cubans," adding, "We are liberating Cuba."
According to Reuters that day, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had indicted former President Castro, who is 95 this year. The indictment is related to an incident in 1996 in which two aircraft operated by the Miami-based Cuban exile group "Brothers to the Rescue" were shot down by the Cuban military, killing four people on board. It is rare for the U.S. government to indict a foreign head-of-state-level leader.
As the United States effectively imposes an embargo on countries supplying fuel to Cuba, pressuring the Cuban economy on all fronts, the move to indict former President Castro is seen as a step to further raise the level of pressure on the Cuban government.
In response to a question about the possibility of heightened military tensions with Cuba, President Trump said, "There will be no escalation. There's no need," adding, "That place is falling apart. They (the Cuban regime) have lost control."
To a follow-up question, "How much longer will the Cuba-related embargo last?" he said, "We'll see," adding, "We will be announcing it soon."