In a debate at the United Nations General Assembly, Cuba sharply criticized the US embargo. In his speech on Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the Washington administration is waging a 'multidimensional, unconventional war' that has lasted nearly seventy years and intensified over the last seven months. Rodriguez stated that this blockade amounts to 'collective punishment' against the Cuban people.
The Cuban foreign minister said the damage caused by the embargo in the period from March 2025 to February 2026 increased by 7 percent compared to the same period the previous year, reaching a record $8 billion. Rodriguez noted that these figures do not yet include the 'extreme impact' of the US fuel blockade imposed in February.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz responded, saying, 'There is no American embargo,' and added, 'The only embargo in Cuba is the guillotine the regime holds over its own people.' EU Ambassador to the UN Stavros Lambrinidis, in his speech, stressed that the dire situation in Cuba is not solely due to the embargo and that the Havana government must carry out meaningful political and economic reforms, including respect for human rights. Lambrinidis also condemned Cuba's alignment with Moscow in Russia's Ukraine war.
In a vote at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday determining whether the debate would be held, there were 136 in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions. Traditional supporters Germany and Canada were among those abstaining. Since 1992, the UN has annually adopted non-binding resolutions by a large majority calling for an end to the US blockade on Cuba.
The fuel blockade imposed by an order from US President Donald Trump in January has caused a severe energy crisis in Cuba. As the US prevents oil shipments from reaching the island, power outages have increased across the country, and stocks of food, drinking water, and medicine are dwindling. During this period, only one oil tanker from Russia has managed to reach Cuban shores. The country's aging Soviet-era power plants continue to consume the critical fuel needed to generate electricity. The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian emergency in the country.
