China and Russia have condemned a US decision to charge Cuba’s former president Raúl Castro with murder.
The Chinese foreign ministry called on the US to stop using “coercion” and “threats” against its ally, while the Kremlin said the pressure being exerted on Havana “borders on violence”.
The US has accused Castro over the 1996 downing of two planes, an incident that killed four people and fuelled diplomatic tensions between Washington and the Caribbean island.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to exert pressure on Cuba and has openly discussed toppling its communist regime.
The US has imposed fresh sanctions on the country and imposed an effective blockade on oil shipments to Cuba, exacerbating a fuel crisis there and leading to extended blackouts and food shortages.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Thursday that the US pressure campaign against Russia’s long-time ally, including the indictment Castro, “cannot be condoned”.
“We believe that under no circumstances should such methods – which border on violence – be used against either former or current heads of state,” he added.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun had earlier said the US should “stop threatening force at every turn”, and that Beijing “firmly supports Cuba”.
