The US–Cuba paradox — indicting Castro while the CIA negotiates
In May 2026 the Trump administration is combining pressure (sanctions, a planned indictment of Raúl Castro over Brothers to the Rescue in 1996) with opening (CIA director Ratcliffe in Havana, $100m in humanitarian aid through the Catholic Church, a Rubio backchannel via Raulito since February). Cuba is facing a fuel crisis (the Anatoly Kolodkin in March, exhausted by the end of April) and the Opción Cero plan is circulating on WhatsApp.
The article that started it
Šéf CIA rokoval v Havane, USA súbežne chystajú obžalobu Raúla Castra. Trump na Kubu tlačí sankciami aj ponukou 100 miliónov dolárov
John Ratcliffe sa stretol s ministrom vnútra a vnukom Raúla Castra. O hodiny neskôr CBS odhalila chystané obvinenie za zostrelenie lietadiel z roku…
What we are still watching
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Moscow or Beijing sends another oil tanker to Cuba; or the deliveries stay blocked
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Sheinbaum's Mexico and other Caribbean countries end the Cuban medical programme, or hold out against Washington's pressure
What has happened
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A grand jury approves or rejects the indictment of the 94-year-old Raúl Castro (Brothers to the Rescue 1996, four dead) USA federálne obvinenie podané 20.5.2026 na Floride proti 94-ročnému Raúlovi Castrovi; DOJ konšpirácia na vraždu amerických občanov v incidente Brothers to the Rescue 1996. Pokryté HotInfo briefingom (article 928106). → USA vznesli obvinenie proti Raúlovi Castrovi v súvislosti so zostrelením lietadiel z roku 1996 21.5.2026
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The Catholic Church accepts the role of intermediary for $100m in humanitarian aid, or the Vatican declines the offer Pravda 21.5.: 100M USD humanitárnej pomoci sa bude distribuovať cez Katolícku cirkev, obíduc komunistický režim - sprostredkovateľská rola cirkvi de facto potvrdená. → Obísť komunistov, distribuovať cez cirkev. Kuba prijala od USA pomoc za 100 miliónov dolárov 21.5.2026
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Activation of the "Opción Cero" plan — extreme rationing as under Fidel in the 1990s Kuba - masívna palivová a potravinová kríza; minister Rodríguez žiada medzinárodnú pomoc (pravda.sk + teraz.sk 27.5.2026). Opción Cero-typ racionovanie de facto nastalo. → Kuba na prahu katastrofy: V krajine chýba palivo a hrozí hlad, zúfalý ostrov žiada svet o pomoc 27.5.2026
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Rubio turns the humanitarian gesture into structured negotiations; or it stays a mix of sanctions plus a one-off offer 22.5.: Rubio doubtful of diplomacy (Guardian #934486), Trump threatens new Cuba crackdown (Independent #934963). Sčastnil sa druhý scenár: kombinácia sankcií + jednorazovej ponuky. Žiadne štruktúrované rokovanie. → Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump renews threat of military action (The Guardian) 22.5.2026
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The Trump administration and the DOJ are preparing an indictment of Raúl Castro (Brothers to the Rescue 1996) — no formal indictment has been filed yet, but the BBC, the Independent and El Mundo have the scoop DOJ planning to indict (BBC 15.5.), Trump prepares to seek indictment (Independent 15.5.), Ratcliffe CIA director priamy tlak na rodinu Castro (El Mundo). 94-ročný Raúl ešte nie je formálne obvinený. → US planning to criminally indict ex-Cuban leader Raúl Castro (BBC News) 16.5.2026
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UN human rights experts called the escalating US pressure on Cuba "colonial-era practices" that endanger international peace (Geneva, June 2, 2026) TASR/AFP; 3 RSS zdroje (teraz.sk, svet.sme.sk, Novy Cas) — kondemnácia OSN, kandidát na /article follow-up alebo večerný briefing update → Experti: Hrozby USA voči Kube pripomínajú praktiky z koloniálnej éry 2.6.2026
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A foreign-lens analysis of the escalation (the Guardian plus Al Jazeera) — the Venezuela parallel, the UN on collective punishment, the Sherritt pullout 22.5.: HotInfo článok 937024 cez AJE 22.5. + Guardian Editorial 17.5. — pridáva 3 vrstvy ktoré SK redakcie vynechali → USA zvýšili vojenskú hrozbu voči Kube. Al Jazeera a Guardian pripomínajú Venezuelu aj varovanie OSN 22.5.2026
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Cuba on the brink of catastrophe: fuel is short, hunger looms, and the Cuban minister asked the UN Security Council for international aid (May 27–28) — the regime has moved close to the Opción Cero scenario Pravda.sk 27.5. + SITA 27.5., Min. zahraničia Rodríguez v BR OSN → Kuba na prahu katastrofy: V krajine chýba palivo a hrozí hlad, zúfalý ostrov žiada svet o pomoc 27.5.2026
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The US imposed sanctions on the Cuban state oil company CUPET (escalating oil pressure on the regime) 12.6. /udrzba Phase B: 3+ RSS (teraz.sk 1040378, svet.sme.sk 1040465, seznamzpravy.cz 1040329) - Treasury sankcie na CUPET → USA uvalili sankcie na kubánsku štátnu ropnú spoločnosť 11.6.2026