US and Cuban Diplomats Clash at UN Ahead of Annual Vote on Embargo
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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez traded angry words on the floor of the General Assembly on Tuesday. The clash came during the annual debate on a resolution condemning the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, according to ABC News and Fox News.
The confrontation is the latest in a series of public spats between the two governments. It comes a day before U.N. member states are due to vote on the resolution, and as U.S. pressure on Cuba is intensifying.
What happened on the Assembly floor
ABC News reported that the exchange began soon after Waltz took the podium to urge countries to vote against the resolution. As he described what he called years of corruption by Cuba's socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation pounded their table and shouted for a point of order.
ABC reported that Rodríguez then walked down the aisle toward the head of the Assembly and called Waltz a liar. Waltz answered by asking whether Rodríguez understood who he was dealing with, according to ABC. Fox News described the Cuban minister as moving toward the podium while the Assembly president tried to restore order and reminded delegates they would get a chance to respond.
Fox reported that Waltz told the Cuban diplomat to back away and said, “This isn't Havana.” The two outlets quote Waltz's remarks differently, but both report that he told Rodríguez to back up. Fox also reported that once Cuba was given the floor, Rodríguez accused Waltz of lying again. He asked the Assembly president to call the U.S. ambassador to order, saying the remarks were beneath the dignity of the forum.
The U.S. argument
Waltz argued that Cuba's communist government has enriched its leaders while its people suffer, according to Fox News. He said Havana blames Washington for hardships that he attributed to corruption and repression inside Cuba. Fox reported that he told the Cuban delegation, “You cannot silence me.”
In a later post on X, Waltz said Cuba's leaders did not want the world to know about their luxury real estate holdings. He added that he had brought evidence and that the delegation did not like it, Fox reported.
ABC News said Waltz and other U.S. officials have used events at the U.N. this week to try to persuade member states to oppose the resolution. That included a U.S.-hosted panel with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners. ABC reported that Waltz had a similar run-in a week earlier with Cuba's U.N. ambassador, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, outside that panel.
The Cuban argument
Rodríguez told the Assembly that Waltz's statements were insulting to the Cuban government and people, according to Fox News. Cuban officials have also said repeatedly that Washington demands Cuba open to private investment while adding sanctions that undercut that very opening, ABC News reported.
What's at stake for Cubans and for the vote
ABC News reported that conditions on the island are already severe after years of economic and financial trouble. In late January, President Donald Trump announced tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. According to ABC, the warning has effectively cut off fuel to the island. That has caused widespread power outages that disrupt cooking, water supplies, and internet and phone service.
ABC described the Trump administration's goal as forcing changes to Cuba's political system by increasing the economic pressure.
The General Assembly resolution is not legally binding, but ABC noted that such votes reflect world opinion. The measure has drawn overwhelming support for 34 years. Last year it passed 165-7 with 12 abstentions. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary voted against it for the first time then, according to ABC.
What happens next
The Assembly is set to vote on the resolution Wednesday. U.S. officials are lobbying for opposition votes. How many countries side with Washington compared with last year's tally will be the next public measure of international support for the embargo.
