The United States intensified its diplomatic offensive on Monday to reduce international support for the Cuban resolution against the embargo, holding a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York that brought together former political prisoners, activists, and experts to denounce the regime's responsibilities in the crisis facing the Island.
The event, titled «Cuba Libre: The oppression that Havana hides», was led by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, and featured remarks from José Daniel Ferrer, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, María Werlau, Emilio Morales, Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, and Volodimir Pavlichenko, the diplomatic representative of Ukraine in the organization.
Just over a week before the voting scheduled for October 27 and 28, Washington aims to shift the focus of the debate from U.S. sanctions to political repression, military control of the economy, and the responsibility of Cuban authorities for the deterioration of living conditions.
Waltz opened the meeting with a screening of a documentary about the persecution of independent artists and questioned the narrative that presents the regime as a victim of a crisis solely caused by the United States.
Similarly, he condemned the privileges of the ruling elite while millions of Cubans suffer from blackouts, food shortages, and a lack of medicine.
Political prisoners speak out
The opposition figure José Daniel Ferrer, who spent over 12 years in Cuban prisons, explained why he believes it is harmful for democratic governments to support the resolution presented annually by Havana.
According to the complaint, the regime uses those votes to convince the public that the international community supports the Communist Party and not those who demand freedoms. For political prisoners, he stated, that message is particularly painful.
Ferrer also recounted the torture and pressure he endured during his imprisonment and urged that humanitarian aid reach the Cubans through independent institutions from the State.
For his part, the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, released from prison and sent into exile after five years of incarceration, denounced the criminalization of independent art, recalled the situation of Maykel Osorbo, and upheld the right of Cubans to choose a different political project.
The researcher María Werlau presented allegations regarding the working conditions of healthcare professionals sent on international missions, while the economist Emilio Morales pointed to GAESA as the center of the economic and financial power of the regime.
The Ukrainian representative also denounced the recruitment of Cuban citizens to fight in Russian forces, a matter that had already been part of the U.S. diplomatic campaign during the previous vote.
An offensive that has already reduced support from Havana
The initiative comes after the historic decline of the Cuban resolution in October 2025, when it received 165 favorable votes, compared to 187 in 2024. The opposing votes increased from two to seven, and the abstentions rose from one to twelve.
Argentina, Paraguay, Hungary, and Ukraine were among the countries that voted against, while several European and Latin American governments abstained.
In July 2026, Washington once again pressed to prevent an extraordinary session on the embargo, which was ultimately authorized with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions. Although this was a different vote, the result once again highlighted Havana's challenges in gathering its traditional majorities.
The Trump administration has now intensified its efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly addressed the issue with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, while Germany is considering changing its position after decades of supporting the resolution.
Havana denounces pressures, and Washington calls for a vote against
The meeting provoked a strong reaction from Cuban diplomacy. The permanent representative to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, denounced its celebration as a political maneuver against a sovereign state, while Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused Rubio of pressuring and blackmailing other governments.
During the day, Cuban diplomats confronted the activists, as reported by Ferrer, in an incident that heightened tensions between the two delegations.
Congresswoman Malliotakis, daughter of an exiled Cuban family, demanded that the United Nations hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and questioned how Cuba has repeatedly held a seat on the Human Rights Council.
The U.S. objective is to alter a vote that, for more than three decades, has reflected the majority rejection of the international community toward the embargo. Although many governments distinguish between their opposition to the sanctions and their stance on the Cuban political system, Washington argues that Havana uses that support to legitimize its hold on power and evade reforms.
At the end of the meeting, Waltz urged the delegations to remember the testimonies heard when it comes time to vote. His appeal was explicit: reject the Cuban resolution or, at the very least, abstain.
The vote next week will reveal whether the U.S. diplomatic offensive can further increase the loss of support recorded in 2025 or if Havana can maintain the international majority that still backs its call to end the embargo.
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