Sara Firth

Well, that is the question.

And look, the indictment of Raul Castro is certainly part of this ongoing pressure campaign against Cuba and an escalation in that pressure campaign.

But on its own, the indictment doesn't mean all that much.

You know, the 94-year-old Raul Castro, former president and defense minister of Cuba, is not going to be extradited to the U.S.

to stand trial.

He's not going to be turning up voluntarily in a Miami court.

but it matters in the context of what it means for President Trump's policy in Cuba right now.

So the questions being asked are whether or not this is President Trump using the playbook that he had in Venezuela, laying the groundwork perhaps for a Maduro-style extraction.

Is he looking to strengthen his negotiating hand in Havana?

I think we simply don't know the answer to that.

What we do know, though, is that very clearly the status quo is gone.

And we can see that a message from the Trump administration, you know, it's unmistakable that they are signaling to Havana.

They're not just seeing them as an adversary anymore, but as a criminal regime.

It is.

And very importantly, you know, President Trump in his recent comments on Cuba.

So he said there won't be escalation.

The place is falling apart.

But he importantly, he didn't rule out a Maduro style extraction.

But along with saying, you know, there won't be escalation.

look at what's actually happening right now.