The Kremlin said it disapproves of US pressure on Cuba and stressed that violent methods should not be used against heads of state, whether current or former, Reuters and TASS reported, citing Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov made the statement in comment on the US authorities' decision to indict former Cuban President Raul Castro, which Washington presented as part of an expanded campaign against the Cuban leadership. According to him, "the pressure being exerted on Cuba cannot be approved", and the use of methods "bordering on violence" against senior state leaders is unacceptable.
The US authorities have charged the 94-year-old Castro with murder, destruction of an aircraft and conspiracy to murder US citizens. Five other defendants are also in the case. According to CBS, the charges may be related to an incident in 1996, when the Cuban Air Force shot down two planes belonging to the Miami-based organization "Brothers Who Come to the Rescue". In 2026, the Florida prosecutor's office will resume the investigation into the case.
"We do not approve of this", Peskov stressed, adding that similar actions have been observed before.