China and Russia called on the United States to stop its pressure campaign against its ally Cuba, after Washington charged former President Raúl Castro with murder.

A court in the US accused Castro, 94, of conspiring to kill US citizens in the downing of two small planes in 1996, an incident that killed four people and fueled diplomatic tensions between Washington and the Caribbean island.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to apply pressure on Cuba and has openly discussed overthrowing the communist regime.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that the US should “stop threatening force on every occasion,” and that Beijing “firmly supports Cuba.”

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Thursday that the United States' pressure campaign against Russia's former ally - including the indictment of Castro - "cannot be tolerated."

"We believe that, under no circumstances, should such methods - which border on violence - be used against heads of state, whether current or former," he added.

On Wednesday, Castro was accused along with five other people of participating in the downing of two small planes flying between Cuba and Florida in 1996, and was charged with crimes that carry sentences of life in prison or death.

The aircraft, operated by the Cuban dissident group Brothers to the Rescue, were transporting three US citizens when they were shot down, killing all of them and one Cuban citizen.

At the time, Raúl Castro – who left the presidency in 2018 – was the commander of the country's armed forces.

The incident caused outrage among Cubans in exile and has since been a source of dispute between Washington and Havana.

The current president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz Canel, described the accusations as “a political action without any legal basis.”

“Strong” support

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, a long-standing ally of Cuba, expressed that Beijing opposes "any attempt by external forces to apply pressure on Cuba under any pretext."

“The United States should cease the use of sanctions and the judicial apparatus as tools of coercion against Cuba and refrain from issuing threats of use of force on every occasion,” said the Chinese government spokesperson.

“China firmly supports Cuba in defending its national sovereignty and dignity and opposes external interference.”

These words come as the White House continues to intensify pressure on Cuba.

The United States has imposed new sanctions against the country and an oil blockade, a measure that has resulted in blackouts and food shortages.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order sanctioning officials in Cuba's energy, defense, finance and security sectors, as well as individuals the U.S. alleges have committed human rights abuses or stolen public property.

Since the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January to face trial in the US on charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, Trump has openly said that Cuba is “ready to fall.”

China has grown closer to Cuba since President Xi Jinping visited the island in 2014.

In 2018, Cuba partnered with China's Belt and Road Initiative, which funded several strategic infrastructure projects on the island.