Jeffrey A. Bartos, the U.S. ambassador for United Nations Management and Reform, criticized the Cuban elite's extravagant lifestyle on Wednesday before the Security Council. This was done during an open debate on food insecurity organized by Denmark, highlighting the stark contrast between the elite and the struggling Cuban populace.
The session, titled "Food Under Fire: The Role of the Security Council in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises," provided Bartos a platform to once again call out the Cuban regime to the UN's most powerful body, following a diplomatic offensive earlier in July.
"Cuba's outrageous accusations are merely an attempt to dodge accountability for decades of corruption and economic mismanagement," the diplomat asserted.
Bartos emphasized, "While the Cuban people face shortages, regime elites indulge in lavish lifestyles, and the government squanders resources on luxury resorts and empty hotels."
GAESA's Financial Influence
Bartos specifically targeted GAESA, a business conglomerate under Cuban military control, citing media reports that claim the entity and its subsidiaries have amassed over $18 billion in overseas bank accounts.
This figure is backed by leaked financial documents analyzed by the BBC and the Miami Herald, which estimated the conglomerate's assets at approximately $17.894 billion as of March 2024, with about $14.467 billion held in bank accounts.
U.S. Aid and Diplomatic Efforts
The U.S. Mission to the UN summarized Washington's stance bluntly: "While the Cuban people starve, Cuba's leaders continue to live in opulence."
Bartos also underscored that the United States remains one of the leading providers of food and humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, accusing the regime of lying at the UN to shirk responsibility for decades of severe economic mismanagement.
This intervention is part of a sustained diplomatic campaign by the Trump administration against Havana in multilateral forums throughout 2026. A direct precedent was the extraordinary session of the General Assembly on July 7, where Bartos and Ambassador Mike Waltz condemned Cuba's power outages and the plight of over 800 political prisoners.
During that session, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla attempted to interrupt Bartos twice with procedural motions, which the Assembly presidency dismissed.
The Assembly then opened the embargo debate with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions, marking the lowest support Cuba has received in such votes in over three decades.
In mid-August, U.S. Southern Command identified GAESA as a regional threat, and U.S. lawmakers have called for freezing its assets, making the Cuban military conglomerate a primary target in Washington's pressure campaign against Havana.
"It's no surprise that Cuba continues to evade responsibility for decades of brutal economic mismanagement by lying at the UN," the U.S. Mission concluded.
Understanding the U.S. Criticism of Cuba
Why did the U.S. criticize Cuba at the UN?
The U.S. criticized Cuba at the UN to highlight the disparity between the lavish lifestyles of the Cuban elite and the widespread poverty faced by the general population, attributing this to the regime's mismanagement and corruption.
What is GAESA and why is it significant?
GAESA is a Cuban military-controlled business conglomerate that has amassed significant financial assets abroad. It is significant because it represents the financial power of the Cuban military and is a major focus of U.S. sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
How does the U.S. support the Cuban people?
The United States remains one of the top providers of food and humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, aiming to alleviate the hardships caused by economic mismanagement in Cuba.