Trump and Rubio float US military intervention in Cuba after Castro’s crimes – nationally
US President Donald Trump and US diplomats on Thursday raised suspicions of US military intervention in Cuba, a renewed concern that gained weight a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island’s former leader, Raúl Castro.
Trump said previous US presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades but said “it looks like I’m going to do it.”
“Some presidents have been looking at this for 50, 60 years, doing something,” Trump told reporters when asked about Cuba during an environmental event in the Oval Office. “Also, it looks like I’ll be the one to do it. So, I’d be happy to do it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters separately that Cuba has been a security risk for years because of its relationship with America’s enemies and that Trump is willing to address it.
Rubio says the United States prefers a negotiated agreement with Cuba
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has long opposed Cuba’s socialist leadership, said the Trump administration wants to resolve the dispute with Cuba peacefully but doubts the US can reach a diplomatic solution with the island’s current government.
“Trump’s preference is always a peaceful negotiated agreement. That is always our preference. That is still our preference with Cuba,” Rubio said in Miami before boarding a plane to attend a NATO meeting in Sweden and visit India.
“I’m just telling you the truth, you know, the chances of that happening, considering who we’re dealing with right now, are not great,” he said.
Trump’s top aides — including Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe and other top national security officials — have met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore possible improvements in relations. But the American side was not interested in those talks, which led to more sanctions on the Cuban government this past week.
Over the years, Cuba has become accustomed to “buying time and waiting for us,” Rubio said. “They won’t be able to wait for us or buy time. We are very determined, very focused.”
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When asked if the US would use power in Cuba to change the political system on the island, Rubio reiterated that a deal is preferred but noted that “the president always has the option to do whatever is necessary to support and protect the interests of the country.”
He pushed back on the journalist’s suggestion that it sounded like “nation-building,” insisting that it was about dealing with a national security threat.
The new threats follow the US announcement of charges against Castro
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday filed an indictment accusing Castro of ordering the shooting down of passenger planes leaving Miami in 1996. The charges, which were opened in private by a grand jury in April, include manslaughter and destroying the plane.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the impeachment as a lack of politics that only sought to “correct the folly of the military invasion of Cuba.”
Castro’s impeachment has led many to believe that the Trump administration was following the playbook when it captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military coup in early January. Maduro, who has been in US custody since his arrest, faces drug-trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.
The US military announced the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its accompanying ships to the Caribbean Sea on the same day that Castro’s charges were announced. The US Southern Command said the ships are participating in naval exercises with Latin American allies that began in March.
Rubio would not discuss how the US might move to use the case against Castro, who will turn 95 next month.
Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba since he ousted Maduro and ordered a blackout that halted oil shipments to Cuba. That led to massive power outages, food shortages and economic collapse across the island.
Trump has mixed talks about regime change in Cuba after promising to take over the country if its leadership does not open its economy to American investment and expel America’s enemies.
On Thursday, Rubio said Cuba is a serious threat to US national security because of its security and intelligence ties with China and Russia and its friendly relations with America’s enemies in Latin America.
China opposes US sanctions and pressure on Cuba, said the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, on Thursday.
“China firmly supports Cuba in protecting its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes foreign interference,” Guo added.
Associated Press writers Simina Mistreanu in Bangkok and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.
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