Cuban FM slams US sanctions policy against Cuba at UNGA

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Tuesday accused the US government of carrying out "multidimensional, non-conventional warfare" against Cuba, which he said has lasted for almost seven decades and "become ever crueler and more ruthless during the last seven months."

Speaking during a UN General Assembly (UNGA) debate on the "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," Rodriguez said threats of military aggression have been repeatedly launched by top officials in the US administration.

In addition to the US economic, commercial and financial blockade, he said that there are unprecedented actions of an extreme extraterritorial nature, which were intended to provoke a humanitarian crisis and the complete destabilization of the country.

At the onset of the debate, Jeffrey Bartos, US representative to the United Nations for UN management and reform, strongly opposed the holding of a second debate on the topic, which was already convened as part of the UNGA's annual work in October 2025. He decried it as a "wasteful" use of UN funds, and then called for a recorded vote on whether to reopen the agenda item.

The UNGA then adopted a motion to proceed with the debate, with 136 votes in favor, 9 against and 30 abstentions.

In his speech, Rodriguez said that in the last few months, the humanitarian damage to the Cuban population has intensified, which has led to a worsening in the quality of life, the reduction of the means of subsistence, the limitation of the potential for personal, family and social development, and the massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of an entire people "in an act of collective punishment."

"The US government, and in particular its State Department, is spreading the lie that the blockade is not aimed against the Cuban people," he said.

"You may ask the people of Cuba whether or not they are suffering because of the blockade," he added.

The cumulative damage caused by the US blockade since it was first imposed amounts to $178.7 billion at current prices, according to Rodriguez.

Noting that the hostility and threats that Cuba faces today are part of a worrying sequence of violations of international law and are a prelude to what might happen to any other country tomorrow, the minister said it is essential to defend the founding values of the United Nations, international law and the UN Charter.

He stressed that there has been no statement by the Cuban government, no evidence, and not the slightest hint indicating that Cuba has intended to threaten the United States.

"Cuba is the nation that is being threatened," Rodriguez said, adding that Cuba is a nation committed to the defense of peace, international law, multilateralism, truth and justice.