The Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, made two attempts this Tuesday to interrupt the speech of Jeffrey Bartos, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform. Bartos was denouncing the widespread power outages in Cuba and highlighting the plight of over 800 political prisoners on the island. Despite Rodríguez's interruptions, the President of the General Assembly dismissed his objections, allowing the American diplomat to continue his address.
The heated exchange unfolded during a special session in New York, aimed at discussing whether the General Assembly should hold a debate on the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
U.S. Ambassador Criticizes Cuban Humanitarian Crisis
During his speech, Bartos criticized the humanitarian conditions in Cuba amidst the recent collapse of the National Electric System (SEN). "Wherever a few generators are operating on that island, rest assured, they are not powering the cells of political prisoners. They are not cooling the refrigerators of Cuban families, nor are they lighting hospital rooms filled with patients awaiting medication, oxygen, or surgery," he stated.
These remarks prompted an immediate response from Rodríguez Parrilla, who requested a procedural motion to have the session president call the U.S. representative to order. "I am surprised that the assembly's presidency has not called the delegate from the United States of America to order, who is making a substantive intervention that is in no way procedural. I ask you to call him to order," Rodríguez demanded.
The president of the session rejected Rodríguez's motion, reminding the Cuban foreign minister that Article 71 of the regulations prevents using a point of order to debate the substance of the matter. Bartos was then allowed to resume his speech.
Persistent Interruptions Met With Firm Critique
Undeterred, Rodríguez attempted a second interruption, which was promptly dismissed. Bartos seized the opportunity to intensify his criticism of the Cuban regime. "Do the more than 800 political prisoners have electricity in their cells? Do they have fans? Phones? Light to read, write, pray, or simply survive?" he questioned the Assembly.
The American diplomat argued that the true embargo affecting Cubans is not imposed by Washington but by their own government. "This is the real embargo on Cuba, not the one Havana claims exists. It's the embargo the regime imposes on its own people: on free speech, faith, entrepreneurship, dissent, political rights, and hope, and now, literally, on light," he asserted.
Cuban Government's Intentions Questioned
Bartos also criticized the cost of the session, estimated at $84,000, arguing that such an amount could have fed 3,500 Cuban children for a month, provided over 1,600 solar lanterns to families without electricity, or covered more than 400 years of the average annual salary for a worker on the island.
He accused the Cuban government of convening the meeting to "create content" instead of addressing the country's ongoing crisis and urged delegations to vote against opening the debate. Despite Washington's opposition, the General Assembly voted in favor of holding the debate, with 136 votes in favor, nine against—including the United States, Argentina, and Israel—and 30 abstentions.
Cuba Faces Another Energy Crisis
In his subsequent speech, Rodríguez Parrilla condemned what he called a "multidimensional, unconventional war" against Cuba, accusing the U.S. of maintaining an "energy siege equivalent to a naval blockade" through sanctions and pressure on ships supplying fuel to the island. He shared these views on his social media platform, X.
This verbal clash occurred as Cuba endured its third total collapse of the National Electric System in 2026. The blackout began on Monday, with generation dropping to create a deficit of nearly 2,230 MW against a demand of approximately 3,100 MW, leading to a national power cut.
The Tuesday session was extraordinary, requested by the Cuban government, separate from the traditional annual vote on the embargo scheduled for October 27.
Key Questions About Cuba's Political Climate and Energy Crisis
What was the primary focus of Jeffrey Bartos' speech at the UN?
Jeffrey Bartos focused on criticizing the humanitarian conditions in Cuba, highlighting the power outages and the situation of over 800 political prisoners on the island.
How did the Cuban Foreign Minister react to Bartos' speech?
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla attempted to interrupt Bartos' speech twice, requesting procedural motions to call the U.S. representative to order, but his objections were dismissed by the session president.
What is the alleged true embargo affecting Cubans, according to Bartos?
Bartos claimed that the real embargo is not imposed by the U.S. but by the Cuban government itself, restricting free speech, faith, entrepreneurship, dissent, political rights, and hope.