The Cuban delegation participating in the UN General Assembly left the plenary hall this Tuesday while President Donald Trump described Cuba as an "absolutely failed state" and predicted that the communist regime "will fall."
The episode occurred during Trump's speech at the 81st General Assembly in New York, marking the first time the president made statements of that nature from the world's highest multilateral forum with the official Cuban representation present in the room.
"My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under immense pressure, the greatest it has ever faced. It is an absolutely failed state. It is failing like never before and will fall," Trump stated before representatives of the nations gathered at the UN headquarters.
The Republican president also revealed that the Secretary of State is actively engaging with Havana: “Marco Rubio is conducting negotiations and is deeply involved in discussions with Cuba. We will see what happens.”
This statement contrasts with what the Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla declared at the beginning of September, when he denied that there are formal negotiations with Washington and described the communication channels between both governments as "stagnant."
The regime's reaction to Trump's speech was immediate: the physical walkout from the room, as it often does in various forums where the Havana government has been challenged.
Rodríguez Parrilla later stated on X that Washington "is unable to accept that Cuba is, and has the right to be, a fully independent and sovereign country," and added that "none of the falsehoods of the U.S. President at the UN and no slander can or will deny that fact."
Trump's speech takes place amid a sustained escalation of pressure from Washington on Havana: the administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions on state entities and individuals linked to the regime since January 2026, including measures against military institutions and nickel sector companies announced days before the leader's speech.
The economic crisis that the island is experiencing exacerbates this situation: according to CEPAL, the Cuban GDP will contract by 10.3% in 2026, the worst decline in Latin America, with blackouts of up to 22 hours daily and an annual inflation rate of 20.70% recorded in July.
Rodríguez Parrilla is scheduled to address the General Assembly next Friday, at which time the Havana regime will provide its official response to Trump's speech.
Filed under: