Rubio Calls Cuba a US Security Threat After 1996 Murder Charges Against Raúl Castro
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 22
Rubio Calls Cuba a US Security Threat After 1996 Murder Charges Against Raúl Castro
13 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 22
Marco Rubio said Cuba poses a national security threat to the United States and warned the chances of a peaceful deal are "not high," one day after Washington charged Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown that killed US nationals.
The Trump administration still says diplomacy is preferred, but Rubio argued the president has a duty to act against threats and declined to discuss how Castro might be brought to the US, after prosecutors said he could appear "by his own will or another way."
Bruno Rodríguez rejected Rubio's claims as lies, denied Cuba sponsors terrorism or threatens the US, and accused Washington of trying to provoke military aggression against the island.
$100 million in US humanitarian aid has been accepted by Cuba, Rubio said, as the island faces fuel shortages, blackouts and food scarcity under heavy US pressure and an effective oil blockade.
Separately, Rubio said US immigration authorities arrested Adys Lastres Morera in Florida for allegedly aiding Havana's regime, underscoring a broader Trump push to tighten pressure on Cuba's leadership.
Is the murder charge against 94-year-old Raúl Castro about justice or a new form of diplomatic leverage?
With secret talks and military threats, are the US and Cuba heading toward a historic deal or armed conflict?