On Tuesday, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, made a compelling demand at the General Assembly for the Cuban regime to release its political prisoners, allow genuine economic freedom, and return the rights that have been stripped from the Cuban people for decades.
This address took place during a special session called by Cuba to discuss the U.S. embargo, which concluded with a vote of 136 in favor, 9 against, and 30 abstentions.
Waltz immediately shifted the narrative, stating, "There has been much talk about the blockade today, and indeed, there is a blockade right before us: the blockade that the Cuban regime relentlessly imposes on its own people, year after year."
The session coincided with the third complete collapse of Cuba's electrical system in 2026, an event Waltz used to highlight the regime's hypocrisy.
"Sadly, Cuba is once again in darkness. There is another blackout across the island. Yet, it seems there is always light and power for the regime, for the dictatorship. Right now, there's electricity at the Castro family's compound. That's where the lights are on," Waltz remarked.
Highlighting the Plight of Political Prisoners
The most striking moment of Waltz's speech came when he presented photographs of Cuban political prisoners to the delegates, reading their names aloud. He mentioned Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement, whose five-year sentence ends on July 9; Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez, a rapper and co-author of "Patria y Vida," sentenced to nine years; Duannis León Taboada, a 24-year-old poet serving a 14-year sentence currently in solitary confinement at Combinado del Este; and the brothers Jorge and Martín Perdomo, whose detention has been condemned by the UN, demanding their release.
"They are not violent, they carry no weapons. What they hold are flowers, and they write poetry and songs, and for that, the regime tries to silence them by locking them up," Waltz declared.
Debunking the Myth of the Embargo
The ambassador also challenged the narrative of a total embargo, pointing out that humanitarian aid from Canada, China, the European Union, Spain, Russia, and the UN itself reaches the island without hindrance, and a tanker recently delivered 750,000 barrels of oil to Cuba. "There is no American blockade. The only embargo is the guillotine that the regime holds over its own citizens," he stated.
Waltz further accused GAESA, the military conglomerate controlling about 70% of the Cuban economy, of managing an $18 billion trust fund from which "not a single cent goes to the Cuban people." He alleged that the regime confiscates the wages of doctors sent abroad and of Cubans recruited to fight in Ukraine.
He also questioned how there could be no fuel for hospitals yet plenty for the Castro family's private jet, whose wealth reportedly includes 700 mansions in Cuba, the Costa del Sol, and Moscow.
Diplomatic Tensions and Reactions
The speech was marked by two interruptions from Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla via points of order, both dismissed by the Assembly's presidency.
In the first, Rodríguez called Waltz a "liar" and stated that the UN "is not a Green Beret camp." Waltz, unfazed, replied, "The truth offends, and the truth is not disrespectful."
In his own address, Rodríguez reiterated that talks between Cuba and the U.S. show no progress and estimated the embargo's damages from March 2025 to February 2026 at $8.103 billion, with a cumulative impact of $178.7 billion.
The outcome of 136 votes in favor of the debate is notably lower than the 165 Cuba received in the annual vote in October 2025, reflecting the impact of Washington's intense diplomatic campaign.
The nine countries that voted against were the U.S., Argentina, Costa Rica, Israel, Morocco, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Paraguay, and Ukraine.
Waltz concluded his address with a direct appeal to the delegates: "Stand with the Cuban people, not with the regime that has shattered that country. You cannot do both. The time has come to choose."
Understanding the U.S. Stance on Cuba
What did the U.S. Ambassador demand from the Cuban regime?
The U.S. Ambassador, Mike Waltz, demanded that the Cuban regime release political prisoners, allow economic freedom, and restore rights to the Cuban people.
What was the context of the U.S. Ambassador's speech?
The speech was delivered during a special UN session called by Cuba to discuss the U.S. embargo, coinciding with a major electrical blackout in Cuba.
How did the Ambassador highlight the issue of political prisoners?
Ambassador Waltz presented photos of Cuban political prisoners, read their names aloud, and highlighted their non-violent actions through art and protest.
What argument did Waltz make regarding the embargo?
Waltz argued that there is no American blockade and that the real embargo is the Cuban regime's oppression of its own people.