US ambassador takes Cuba to task in fiery UN speech: ‘this is not Havana’

Cuba’s foreign minister on Tuesday accused the United States of committing an “act of war” by restricting fuel shipments to the island, prompting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz to issue a strong response accusing Cuba’s communist government of years of blackouts, crackdowns and economic collapse.

The conflict emerged at the UN General Assembly a day after Cuba’s national power grid collapsed, leaving nearly 10 million people without electricity. It was the third grid failure nationwide this year and the eighth since October 2025, Reuters reported.

Cuban authorities restored electricity to central Cuba and about a third of Havana on Tuesday morning, but large areas remained offline or faced unstable service, according to Reuters.

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Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez told delegates that the Trump administration was waging a “multidimensional, unconventional war” against Cuba that had become “more brutal and merciless in the last seven months.”

Rodríguez called U.S. efforts to restrict fuel deliveries “an energy collapse equivalent to a naval blockade, which is an act of war,” according to the UNTV transcript.

Waltz rejected the claim that the United States was establishing a naval blockade around Cuba.

“There is no ring of Navy warships or U.S. Navy warships around this island blocking trade or humanitarian aid to Cuba,” Waltz said. “Fake. False. It’s a lie. Period.”

Waltz argued that the real embargo was the embargo imposed by the Cuban government on its own citizens.

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People walk on the street during the collapse of the national power grid on March 14, 2025 in Havana, Cuba. (Norlys Perez/Reuters)

“There’s a lot of talk today about the embargo. There really is an embargo,” he said. “This is the embargo that the Cuban regime has brutally imposed on its own people for decades.”

While he called on Havana to “change your ways” and “turn the lights back on for your people,” he accused Cuban leaders of ensuring that government buildings and propaganda operations have power even as families worry about food spoiling, hospitals losing power and phones running out of battery.

Waltz noted that Tuesday’s meeting took place just days before the fifth anniversary of the July 11, 2021 demonstrations, in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets over food, medicine and electricity shortages and demanded more freedoms.

As Waltz spoke, a member of the Cuban delegation banged on the table, prompting the ambassador to respond.

“This is not Havana. This is the United States of America. This is the United Nations,” Waltz said. “And we will speak, we will be heard, and we will not be silenced like your own people. So, walk away.”

Waltz displayed photographs and read the names of many detained Cuban artists, musicians, and activists, including Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo Pérez, and Duannis Dabel León Taboada.

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Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla speaks at a press conference in Havana, Cuba. (Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini)

“They’re not armed. They’re not violent,” Waltz said. “They carry flowers, write poetry, write music. For this, the regime beats them, detains them and tries to break them.”

Waltz also said Cuba’s military-run conglomerate GAESA controls about half of the country’s economy and has $18 billion in assets.

Reuters reports that estimates of GAESA’s economic reach range from about 40% to 70%, while Cuban officials dispute the US government’s $18 billion figure.

Waltz said that despite Cuba’s blockade claims, humanitarian aid has recently arrived from countries such as China, Russia, Mexico, Canada and Spain, as well as the European Union and the United Nations.

He also said that the United States provided more than $100 million in aid this year and approximately $500 million in commodities annually.

Waltz said about Cuba’s decision to bring the issue to the General Assembly: “The answer is simple: Because blaming the United States is the only economic plan Havana has left.”

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Protesters gather outside the Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, as a fire burns in the street during overnight riots. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread power outages. (Reuters)

Ahead of a broader debate, US Representative to the UN on Governance and Reform Jeffrey Bartos opposed reopening the agenda item and called for a vote on whether the process should continue.

Bartos argued that the three-hour meeting would cost about $84,000, money that could provide food, emergency medical supplies and solar-powered lanterns to Cuban families.

“Right now, Cuba is in the dark again,” Bartos said. “I appeal to the Cuban regime: Turn the lights back on for your people.”

Members of the Cuban delegation also interrupted Bartos by banging on the table several times. Bartos paused at one point and replied, “Keep moving away. Very effective,” before continuing.

Bartos accused Havana of seeking “another propaganda clip” rather than a solution and noted that more than 800 political prisoners were being held by the government.

Independent organizations produced different estimates. Human Rights Watch reported in April that more than 700 people remained in prison for political reasons, while Prisoner Advocates reported that there were more than 1,200 political prisoners in Cuba as of spring 2026. Cuba denies holding anyone for political reasons.

“This is the real Cuban embargo,” Bartos said. “This is the regime’s embargo on its own people: on speech, on faith, on initiative, on dissent, on political rights, on hope – and now, literally, on light.”

Rodríguez accused the U.S. delegation of telling “well-worn lies” and trying to prevent the General Assembly from debating the effects of American policy.

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U.S. Representative to the UN Ambassador Jeff Bartos speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Libya at the U.S. UN headquarters in New York City, November 25, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Cuba’s electricity crisis is caused by severe fuel shortages and an outdated, poorly maintained energy system that is struggling to keep up with demand. While the Cuban government primarily blames U.S. restrictions, Washington attributes the island’s broader economic crisis to communist economic policies, corruption and repression.

Reuters contributed to this report.