TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Istanbul, May 20, 2026. The US has officially indicted Raúl Castro, 94, former Cuban president, for murder, conspiracy against American citizens, and destruction of aircraft, linked to the 1996 incident in which Cuban military jets had shot down two Cuban exile planes. The indictment, presented by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at a ceremony in Miami in front of an auditorium of officials and Cuban-Americans, marks a new step in the pressure campaign that the Trump administration is leading against Havana.

Turkish press, through the Daily Sabah, frames this event in a logic of American influence expansion in the Western Hemisphere - a dynamic already illustrated by the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, pursued for drug trafficking in New York. Maduro pleaded not guilty. For Ankara's press, this precedent is a strong signal: Washington now intends to use judicial mechanisms against foreign leaders in office or recently removed from power.

Castro's indictment fits into a broader strategy carried by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants and possible Republican candidate in 2028. On the same day the indictment was announced, Rubio proposed $100 million in aid to Cuba, conditional on opening reforms - an offer qualified as 'cynical' by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who denounced the 'devastating effect' of the economic blockade. This double movement - judicial pressure and financial incitement - reflects the complexity of the American posture.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected the indictment as a 'politically motivated maneuver lacking any legal foundation,' stating that Cuba had acted legitimately in defending its territory in 1996. He warned that this move seemed to aim at justifying a military intervention. The Trump administration has also imposed a de facto blockade by threatening sanctions against countries providing fuel to Cuba, causing massive power outages and exacerbating the worst economic crisis on the island in decades.

Raúl Castro, who had stepped down as president in 2018 but remained an influential figure behind the scenes, appeared publicly in Cuba at the beginning of the month. No indication suggests he will leave the island or that extradition is possible. A warrant has been issued nonetheless.