The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, had a tense confrontation on Tuesday with the Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, during the extraordinary session of the General Assembly called at the request of the regime in Havana to discuss the U.S. embargo.
The most intense moment occurred when Rodríguez interrupted the U.S. diplomat's speech for the first time with a motion of order. Far from retracting, Waltz responded assertively.
"You can do whatever you want. This is not Havana; this is the United States of America and the United Nations. We are going to intervene, and we will not allow you to silence us as you do with your people. So go ahead, keep banging on the table," he warned.
The words created an atmosphere of heightened tension in the assembly and set the tone for a speech in which the U.S. representative delivered one of the most severe criticisms of the Cuban dictatorship made at the UN in recent years.
Rodríguez interrupted the intervention twice labeling Waltz as a "liar" and insisting that the UN "is not a green beret camp."
On both occasions, the presidency of the General Assembly rejected the objections of the Cuban Foreign Minister by reminding him that Article 71 of the regulations prohibits using points of order to debate the content of a speech, and therefore, returned the floor to the U.S. ambassador.
In resuming his intervention, Waltz responded without raising his voice: "The truth hurts, and the truth is not a lack of respect. I am very sorry that the Cuban delegation does not want to hear this."
A speech focused on the Cuban crisis
The diplomat took the opportunity during his speech to denounce the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis plaguing the island.
He recalled that, while the session was taking place, Cuba was experiencing a nationwide blackout—the seventh collapse of the electrical system in just 18 months—and contrasted that reality with the constant electricity supply in the residences of the Castro family and the seats of power.
He also read before the Assembly the names of several Cuban political prisoners, including Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose sentence ends this week; the musician Fernando Almadévez Rivera; the rapper Miguel «Osorbo» Castillo Pérez; the poet Duanes León Tovero; and the brothers Jorge and Nadir Martín Perdomo.
"They are not violent. They have no weapons. What they carry are flowers, and they write poetry and songs. And that's why the regime is trying to eliminate them," he stated.
"The only embargo is the one the regime imposes on its people."
Waltz also questioned the regime's official narrative regarding the U.S. embargo.
He asked the delegations present how one could speak of a "total blockade" when Cuba receives humanitarian aid from Canada, China, Russia, Spain, the European Union, and the United Nations itself, and when exports worth hundreds of millions of dollars are shipped from Florida ports to the island.
"The only embargo is the guillotine that the regime has over the heads of its own citizens," he declared.
The ambassador also denounced that GAESA, the business conglomerate controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces, manages approximately half of the national economy and a fund of about 18 billion dollars, while "not a cent" reaches the people.
He also accused the regime of seizing the salaries of doctors sent abroad and the Cubans recruited to fight in Ukraine.
"That money ends up in the pockets of the Castro family," he claimed.
In one of the toughest moments of his speech, he asked how it was possible for the country to lack fuel for hospitals while, he said, the Castro family has private jets, Rolex watches, Hermès ties, and hundreds of properties inside and outside of Cuba.
A lesser backing for the regime
The General Assembly finally approved the debate with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions, which is a considerably lower level of support compared to what Havana received in the annual vote on the embargo held in October 2025, when it gathered 165 favorable votes, the worst result for the regime in over three decades.
Before concluding, Waltz delivered a direct message to the international community: "Stand with the Cuban people, do not side with the regime that has broken this country. You cannot do both at the same time. The time has come to make a decision."
Filed under: