The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, lambasted the extravagant expenses associated with the extraordinary debate on the Cuba embargo held at the United Nations General Assembly. He emphasized that the six-hour session amounted to a $168,000 expenditure, which, in his view, could have been better used to meet the needs of the Cuban population.
“That money could have been used to feed thousands of Cuban children instead of funding yet another propaganda spectacle by the regime,” Waltz declared in a statement posted on his X account following the session’s conclusion.
U.S. Opposition to the Debate
The session was orchestrated by the Cuban regime as an extraordinary debate, marking the second time during the 80th session of the General Assembly that the embargo was addressed outside the usual annual vote scheduled for October. The United States opposed the debate from the outset.
U.S. criticisms began even before the session commenced. On Tuesday, Jeffrey Bartos, the U.S. representative for UN Management and Reform, warned that the meeting was expected to cost approximately $84,000, based on a three-hour duration with an hourly expense of $28,000.
“The $84,000 this three-hour meeting costs could feed 3,500 Cuban children for a month, provide emergency health kits to 40,000 people for three months, or purchase over 1,600 solar lanterns for families enduring darkness at night,” Bartos stated at the time.
Accusations Against the Cuban Regime
However, the debate extended to around six hours, prompting Waltz to raise the total bill to $168,000. Bartos also accused the regime of exploiting the General Assembly as a propaganda platform rather than addressing the island's crisis.
“Havana is here to create content. And today, it will do so not by aiding Cubans or honestly highlighting their plight, but by blaming the United States,” he asserted.
Highlighting Cuba's Crisis During the Debate
During Wednesday’s debate, Waltz delivered a roughly 16-minute speech in which he refuted the regime's narrative regarding the embargo.
“There is no American blockade. The only embargo in Cuba is the guillotine that the regime holds over its people’s heads,” he proclaimed before the Assembly.
The ambassador also linked the UN discussion to the energy crisis gripping the island, which is experiencing its third total collapse of the National Electric System in 2026 alone and the seventh in just 18 months.
“Sadly, Cuba is engulfed in darkness again. But, curiously, there always seems to be enough electricity for the regime. Right now, as I speak, there is electricity for the Castro family’s venues,” he noted.
As part of his address, Waltz displayed photographs of several Cuban political prisoners and mentioned by name the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, rapper Miguel Castillo Pérez, and poet Duanes León, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence. He then inquired whether they also had access to electricity while regime representatives defended their stance in New York.
Confrontation with Bruno Rodríguez
Waltz also accused the military conglomerate GAESA of managing a trust fund valued at $18 billion without those resources benefiting the Cuban populace. Additionally, he alleged that the regime withholds part of the salaries of doctors sent abroad and claimed that thousands of Cubans have been dispatched to fight in Ukraine while their earnings end up in state coffers.
The Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, interrupted the speech with a point of order, the second made during the interventions of U.S. representatives. As with Jeffrey Bartos, the Assembly presidency rejected the request, reminding that the mechanism cannot be used to question the content of a speech.
Waltz continued his address unchanged. “The truth hurts, and the truth is not disrespectful,” he stated.
The debate was made possible after the Assembly approved its holding on Tuesday with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions, a result lower than that obtained by Cuba in October 2025 when the annual resolution on the embargo received 165 favorable votes and registered a significantly lower number of abstentions.
Concluding his intervention, Waltz urged member states to stand in solidarity with the Cuban people rather than the regime.
“Stand with the Cuban people. Do not stand with the regime that has destroyed that country. You cannot do both. It is time to choose,” he concluded.
Key Questions About the UN Debate on Cuba
Why did the U.S. criticize the UN debate on the Cuba embargo?
The U.S. criticized the debate due to its exorbitant cost of $168,000, arguing that the funds could have been better spent addressing the needs of the Cuban population, such as feeding children or providing emergency health kits.
What claims did Mike Waltz make about Cuba's energy crisis?
Waltz linked the UN discussion to Cuba's ongoing energy crisis, highlighting that while the island faces frequent power outages, there always seems to be enough electricity for the regime’s venues, suggesting mismanagement and prioritization issues.
What was the outcome of the UN General Assembly vote on the debate?
The UN General Assembly approved the debate with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions. This outcome was less favorable for Cuba compared to the previous year's vote on the embargo resolution.