{"id":338731,"date":"2026-05-22T05:28:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=338731"},"modified":"2026-05-22T05:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:58:13","slug":"trump-rubio-float-u-s-military-intervention-in-cuba-after-castro-charges-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/trump-rubio-float-u-s-military-intervention-in-cuba-after-castro-charges-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump, Rubio float U.S. military intervention in Cuba after Castro charges – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

U.S. President Donald Trump and America\u2019s top diplomat on Thursday again raised the specter of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that takes on greater weight a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island\u2019s former leader, Ra\u00fal Castro.<\/p>\n

Trump said previous U.S. presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for many years but that \u201cit looks like I\u2019ll be the one which does it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOther presidents have checked out this for 50, 60 years, doing something,\u201d Trump told reporters when asked about Cuba during an environmental event within the Oval Office. \u201cAnd, it looks like I\u2019ll be the one which does it. So, I can be comfortable to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters individually that Cuba has been a national security threat for years due to its ties to U.S. adversaries and that Trump is intent on addressing it.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tRubio says the US prefers a negotiated agreement with Cuba\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has long taken a hard-line against Cuba\u2019s socialist leadership, said the Trump administration desires to resolve differences with Cuba peacefully but is doubtful the U.S. can reach a diplomatic resolution with the island\u2019s current government.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s \u201cpreference is all the time a negotiated agreement that\u2019s peaceful. That\u2019s all the time our preference. That continues to be our preference with Cuba,\u201d Rubio said in Miami before boarding a plane to attend a NATO meeting in Sweden after which visit India.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just being honest with you, , the likelihood of that taking place, given who we\u2019re coping with without delay, shouldn’t be high,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Top Trump aides \u2014 including Rubio, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and other senior national security officials \u2014 have met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore possible improvements in relations. However the U.S. side has come away unimpressed from those talks, resulting in much more sanctions imposed on the Cuban government previously week.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Over time, Cuba has gotten used to \u201cbuying time and waiting us out,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to give you the chance to attend us out or buy time. We\u2019re very serious, we\u2019re very focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Get\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

Get breaking National news<\/h2>\n

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

When asked whether the U.S. would use force in Cuba to alter the island\u2019s political system, Rubio repeated that a diplomatic settlement was preferred but noted that \u201cthe president all the time has the choice to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pushed back on a reporter\u2019s suggestion that it seemed like \u201cnation-building,\u201d insisting it was about addressing a national security risk.<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tLatest threats follow US announcement of charges against Castro\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled an indictment that accuses Castro of ordering the shootdown in 1996 of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles. The costs, which were secretly filed by a grand jury in April, included murder and destruction of an airplane.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel has condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to \u201cjustify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t