Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, has accused United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio of pressuring and blackmailing overseas leaders to vary their international locations’ positions forward of a United Nations General Assembly vote on the decades-old US financial embargo in opposition to the Caribbean nation.
Rodríguez made the allegation in a submit on his official X account, claiming that Washington was looking for to weaken worldwide opposition to the embargo earlier than the anticipated vote on a decision calling for its elimination.
He accused Rubio of making an attempt to affect heads of state and authorities by means of strain and what he described as blackmail, arguing that the United States was attempting to suppress worldwide criticism of measures Havana considers collective punishment in opposition to the Cuban inhabitants.
“The Secretary of State of the US, nervous and anxious in the face of another new defeat at the United Nations, is pressuring and blackmailing heads of state and government of several countries to change their vote against the blockade in the UN General Assembly,” Rodríguez stated.
The Cuban overseas minister additional alleged that Washington was utilizing repeated claims and recent diplomatic initiatives to silence criticism of its coverage in the direction of Cuba and draw different international locations into supporting what he described as an unjust marketing campaign in opposition to the island’s folks.
The allegation comes amid an intensifying diplomatic contest between Havana and Washington over the annual UN decision opposing the American embargo, which has been in place since 1962.
The forthcoming vote is predicted to check the extent of worldwide help for Cuba at a time of mounting financial difficulties on the island and renewed US efforts to influence governments to rethink their backing for the decision.
According to stories, the US State Department confirmed that Rubio spoke with El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, on October 13, urging alignment on shared priorities on the United Nations, together with the query of Cuba.
However, the reported name doesn’t, by itself, set up Rodríguez’s allegation that the United States threatened or blackmailed governments over their votes.
The diplomatic dispute additionally displays a broader disagreement over the aim and penalties of the embargo. Washington has defended its strain on Havana by arguing that Cuba wants political and financial reforms, whereas the Cuban authorities maintains that US restrictions violate its sovereignty and worsen the hardship confronted by extraordinary residents.
At the United Nations, the General Assembly has repeatedly adopted resolutions calling for an finish to the embargo. In the 2025 vote, the decision obtained 165 votes in favour, seven in opposition to and 12 abstentions, indicating substantial, though decreased, help for Cuba in contrast with earlier years.
The proposed decision shouldn’t be legally binding, however its adoption has remained an necessary diplomatic measure of worldwide opinion on US coverage in the direction of Havana.
Cuba has additionally blamed the tightening of US restrictions on gas provides for aggravating electrical energy shortages and disrupting transport, healthcare, manufacturing and water companies. Washington, nonetheless, continues to argue that strain is critical to encourage adjustments in Cuba’s political and financial system.
Neither the Cuban allegation nor the reported diplomatic contacts alone set up that international locations have modified, or will change, their positions as a result of of US strain.
The controversy is prone to intensify diplomatic lobbying forward of the vote, as each governments search to affect worldwide opinion over an embargo that has remained one of the longest-running sources of stress between the United States and Cuba.
