The United States has filed charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro. What the media is writing

The United States has charged former Cuban President Raul Castro over the downing of two American planes in 1996, killing four people. This step may become an excuse to invade the island in an attempt to overthrow the current government of the country. Havana denies the charges and calls for negotiations with the United States. How the media reacts to the escalation in the Caribbean is in the Izvestia digest.

The Washington Post: Raul Castro is charged in the United States with murder and conspiracy

A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro in an attempt to hold him accountable for the murder of four people, claiming that the Cuban military acted on his orders when they shot down two civilian planes in 1996 (at that time, Castro served as head of the country's defense Ministry – Ed.). This unusual indictment, issued in April and classified, came amid increased pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump to achieve a political change of power in Cuba.

The 94-year-old Castro took over as president of Cuba after his brother, Fidel Castro, resigned in 2008. After Fidel's death in 2016, Raul Castro became the island's main revolutionary hero. Although he left the presidency in 2018, Castro remained the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba until 2021. It is unlikely that Castro will be extradited to the United States to appear in court and face charges. In the absence of Cuban cooperation, the indictment is likely to remain symbolic unless the United States takes decisive action to expel Castro from Cuba.

The New York Times: US aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean amid Trump's pressure on Cuba

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its accompanying warships entered the southern Caribbean on May 20 and will remain in the region for at least several days as part of the Trump administration's campaign to put pressure on the Cuban government. The White House intends to use the aircraft carrier and its fighter squadron as a show of force, rather than as a platform for major military operations, as was the case with the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford during the special forces raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Southern Command of the US Armed Forces wrote on social media that the USS Nimitz "has proven its combat power around the world, ensuring stability and protecting democracy from the Taiwan Strait to the Persian Gulf." Much of the firepower accumulated by the Pentagon in the Caribbean for the raid against Maduro soon left the region to form the backbone of American forces in the war with Iran. However, according to the Navy, the amphibious assault ship Tripoli also remains in the region.

CNN: indictment against Castro could lead to war between the United States and Cuba

Repeatedly mentioning his popularity among Cuban voters, Trump does not rule out the possibility of concluding a deal that could prevent a US attack on the communist island. But while Trump claims that the Cuban government is "desperate" to do so, he said the same about Venezuela and Iran, where negotiations abruptly ended with US military strikes.

The growing shortage and power outages have sparked isolated anti-government protests, which Cuban officials usually do not tolerate. The indictment of Raul Castro is heating up the situation between the Cold War-era adversaries to a level unprecedented in recent decades. They are laying the groundwork for a possible US military operation to extradite him, as happened with Maduro. But unlike Venezuela, where Maduro's army offered weak resistance, easily suppressed by American troops, Castro's supporters are likely to react much more aggressively.

Associated Press: Cuban president condemns charges against Castro

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the indictment as a political stunt designed only to "justify the recklessness of military aggression against Cuba." In a message on social media, he accused the United States of lying and manipulating events related to the downed planes, including ignoring repeated warnings from Cuban officials that they would defend themselves against "dangerous violations" of their airspace "by known terrorists."

After Maduro's capture, Trump intensified talks about regime change in Cuba, promising to carry out a "friendly takeover" of the country if its leadership did not open the economy to American investment and expel US opponents. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on the Cuban people to demand a market economy with new leadership, which, according to him, will determine a new course in relations with the United States.

Base for invasion: The United States is spinning up the case of the 1990s to put pressure on Cuba

Will the American intervention on the island begin, or will Washington use political levers?

The New York Times: Cuba declares readiness for negotiations

Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, said the island is open to changes in its economy and government and is committed to continuing negotiations with the United States, but does not believe Washington is participating in the negotiations in good faith. He noted that Washington's military rhetoric and the creation of various pretexts for military aggression against Cuba do not help resolve the situation.

Guzman said the government made the decision to show the American public that Cuba is committed to peace and cooperation with the United States, despite the Trump administration's escalating pressure campaign against the island. The ambassador also said that Rubio's comments "are an insult to human intelligence for anyone who has at least common sense." According to him, it was the United States that stopped the flow of Venezuelan oil, which once supported Cuba, and it is the United States that threatens other countries with stopping oil supplies to the island.