United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz delivered a forceful rebuke to Cuba's delegation on Tuesday, blaming the communist government for years of blackouts, repression, and economic collapse, in response to accusations that U.S. fuel restrictions constituted an "act of war."
The confrontation occurred at the UN General Assembly following Cuba’s national electrical grid collapse, which left nearly 10 million people without power. This was the third nationwide grid failure since October 2025 and the eighth since that time, according to Reuters.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had told delegates that the U.S. was carrying out a "multidimensional, non-conventional war" that had become "more cruel and ruthless." He described U.S. efforts to restrict fuel deliveries as imposing "an energy collapse, equivalent to a naval blockade, which is an act of war."
Waltz strongly rejected the blockade claim, stating, "There is no ring of Navy warships, U.S. Navy warships sitting around this island blocking trade or humanitarian aid going into Cuba. It’s fake. It’s false. It’s a lie. Period."
He countered that the true embargo was imposed by Cuba’s government on its own citizens, citing decades of repression and economic mismanagement. "There’s a lot of talk today of an embargo. And indeed there is one. It’s the embargo the Cuban regime mercilessly imposes on its own people decade after decade after decade," Waltz said.
As Waltz spoke, a member of the Cuban delegation began banging on their desk. Waltz responded, "This is not Havana. This is the United States of America. This is the United Nations. And we will speak, we will be heard, and we will not be silenced like your own people. So, pound away."
Waltz also displayed photographs of jailed Cuban dissidents, including artists and musicians, accusing the regime of beating and detaining them for peaceful expression. He noted that GAESA, Cuba’s military-run conglomerate, controls a significant portion of the country's economy.
U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform Jeffrey Bartos also spoke, objecting to the meeting's cost and suggesting the funds could provide aid to Cuban families. He accused Havana of seeking propaganda rather than solutions and pointed to the government's alleged holding of over 800 political prisoners.
Cuba's electricity crisis is attributed by the government to U.S. restrictions, while the U.S. points to the island's communist economic policies, corruption, and repression as the primary causes for its broader economic struggles and frequent blackouts.