On Thursday, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuba's permanent representative to the United Nations, addressed the press at the UN headquarters in New York. He condemned the pressure exerted by Washington ahead of the annual General Assembly vote on the U.S. embargo against Cuba, scheduled for October 27th and 28th.
"Cuba will not be intimidated, blackmailed, or silenced," declared the diplomat. This statement marked one of the Cuban regime's most forthright comments in the multilateral organization in recent weeks.
The focal point of Soberón's denunciation was an event orchestrated by the U.S. Permanent Mission at the UN titled "Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Hides." Scheduled for Monday, October 19th, the event aimed to highlight issues such as political prisoners, alleged trafficking of Cuban medical professionals, and regime corruption.
Accusations of Political Maneuvering
Soberón criticized the event as a "politically motivated maneuver, organized in a questionable manner, clearly intended to attack Cuba, promote a hostile narrative against our country, and use the United Nations facilities to further the U.S. government's political agenda against a sovereign member state."
The Cuban ambassador argued that the event violated the UN's administrative instruction ST/AI/2019/4, which mandates that activities held on its premises align with the organization's Charter. "The United Nations is not a platform for political persecution, interference in states' internal affairs, or campaigns aimed at undermining their sovereignty," he stressed.
Allegations Against U.S. Officials
Soberón also accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of directly contacting heads of state and government, pressuring them to change their votes on the Cuban resolution. He labeled this as an "unacceptable campaign of harassment and political intimidation." The U.S. State Department confirmed that Rubio called Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on October 13th to urge alignment with Washington on "shared priorities" at the UN, including the Cuban issue.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla had accused Rubio of "pressuring and blackmailing" world leaders last Tuesday, while Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel commented on social media Wednesday that the "frantic deployment" by the U.S. over international leaders was "the best evidence of how isolated they are in their policy against Cuba."
U.S. Response and International Dynamics
U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, responded on Saturday via X, defending the event as one that welcomed former political prisoners and experts on forced labor and corruption. He supported Rubio's focus on Cuba as "perfectly healthy," and mentioned that the Cuban regime had targeted Rubio's family.
Juan Pablo Segura, the Deputy Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, warned that supporting the Cuban resolution "delays the urgent need for political and economic reforms" on the island. He argued that Havana uses the annual vote "to convince itself that change is unnecessary."
International support for the resolution has steadily dwindled: it garnered 187 votes in 2024, dropped to 165 in October 2025—the lowest in over a decade—and barely reached 136 votes in the special session of July 2026.
More than 554 Cuban activists and organizations—including José Daniel Ferrer, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, and Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez"—issued a letter urging democratic governments to vote against or abstain from supporting the resolution on October 28th. They argued that endorsing the resolution benefits the regime, not the Cuban people. The initiative has surpassed 1,000 total endorsements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cuba and the UN Embargo Vote
Why is Cuba's representative at the UN speaking out against the U.S.?
Cuba's representative is condemning what he perceives as U.S. pressure tactics ahead of the UN General Assembly vote on the embargo, which he argues are meant to undermine Cuba's sovereignty and promote a hostile narrative against the country.
What is the significance of the UN vote on the U.S. embargo against Cuba?
The UN vote on the embargo is a symbolic measure that expresses the international community's stance on the U.S. policy towards Cuba. It is an annual event where countries can show support or opposition to the embargo.