President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. [REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein]

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is “liberating Cuba” through economic pressure and indictments against the island’s de facto ruler, former President Raul Castro.

“This will be one of the most significant things that has happened to (Cuba),” Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House after delivering a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

An unsealed indictment against Raul Castro, which was obtained in April, was made public on Wednesday after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida indicted him and five other co-conspirators in connection with a terrorist attack.

The charges include conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder. The aircraft were humanitarian aid and rescue planes operating in international waters near Cuba and belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based exile group.

Cuban exiles in the U.S. for 30 years and congressional representatives, including Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, have pressured the Justice Department to indict 94-year-old Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, and his associates in connection with the shooting down of Cuban military MiG fighter jets that were returning to Florida from outside Cuban airspace.

According to the Justice Department’s indictment, Raul Castro, as head of the Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR), authorized the use of deadly force against Brothers to the Rescue (BTTR) aircraft and is responsible for the Feb. 1996 downing of an unarmed Cessna aircraft that was returning to the U.S. mainland.

The indictment states that from February 1994 to July 1996, the military chain of command at San Antonio de los Banos Air Base in Cuba, which led to the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces and Air Defense Forces (DAAFAR) and the Cuban Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR), extended to the base and the Cuban fighter pilots.

The Justice Department stated that when the Cuban MiG fighters shot down the two civilian aircraft, the BTTR planes were flying away from Cuba in international waters outside Cuban territory. Prosecutors claimed that the BTTR pilots received no warning that the Cuban military would destroy their aircraft.

Twenty years ago, El Nuevo Herald and The Miami Herald released a 2006 recording in which Raul Castro admitted to ordering the downing.

In the recording, Raul Castro is reportedly heard saying, “I ordered the Cuban fighter pilots to shoot down those enemy planes over Cuban territory,” adding, “If they appear again, I told them to throw them into the sea.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday to thunderous applause, “Today, we announce that we have indicted Raul Castro and several co-conspirators for conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens.” He added, “Castro and his co-conspirators have also been charged with additional crimes, including the destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder.”

“The message I want to convey today is clear: America and President Trump will not forget its citizens, and will not forget them in the future… For the first time in nearly 70 years, a high-ranking leader of the Cuban regime has been indicted in the United States for acts of violence that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens,” Blanche added.

The United States is currently imposing a de facto embargo on Cuba by targeting countries that supply fuel to the island, leading to widespread blackouts and the worst economic crisis in decades.

When asked how much longer the embargo on Cuba would last, President Trump responded, “We will see. We will announce it soon.”

However, when asked if increased military tension with Cuba should be expected, he said, “There will be no escalation. There is no need for it. It is collapsing there. They (the Cuban regime) have lost control.”

U.S. NNP=Hong Sung-goo Chief Reporter / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com