What is the US endgame in Cuba after Castro’s indictment? | Global News Podcast

The US justice department has indicted the former Cuban president, Raúl Castro, on four counts of murder and conspiracy to kill US nationals. The charges relate to the shooting down of two US civilian planes by Cuban fighter jets off the coast of Florida in 1996.

The Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the charges carry no legal basis and "add to the file they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba."

Our correspondent in Havana, Will Grant, tells us some in Cuba fear the island will face a similar fate to its ally Venezuela, after President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces.

President Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that the indictment could lead to further escalation, and said the US is "freeing up Cuba".

For months the US has been intensifying its pressure on Cuba, imposing a fuel blockade that’s triggered sustained power outages. On Thursday, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says Cuba has accepted an offer of $100 million in aid from the United States.

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00:00 Introduction
00:28 Raul Castro indicted
03:17 Could the US stage a coup?
04:13 Is Trump seeking leverage?
05:12 The US fuel blockade
06:59 Will Cuba negotiate?
09:32 Do Cubans want a Venezuela-style operation?