Cuba\u2019s top diplomat has branded Mike Waltz a \u201cliar\u201d after the American ambassador accused Havana\u2019s leadership of corruption<\/p>\n
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has shouted \u201cBack up!\u201d at Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez during a heated confrontation at the General Assembly over Washington\u2019s blockade of the island. The Cuban diplomat accused Waltz of spreading \u201ccrude lies\u201d to justify US \u201ceconomic aggression.\u201d\u00a0
\nDuring the UNGA session on Tuesday, Waltz dedicated his speech to allegations of corruption among the Cuban leadership, pointing to what he called their collection of luxury watches, real estate, and yachts as well as their relatives\u2019 holidays in Europe. While ordinary Cubans \u201care starving,\u201d the US blockade and embargo of the island \u201cdoes not exist\u201d and \u201cdoesn\u2019t apply to luxury goods\u201d that \u201csomehow get through to the Cuban regime elites,\u201d he claimed.
\nHis words drew loud condemnation from the Cuban delegation led by Rodriguez as the diplomats clapped and knocked on their desks in protest against Waltz\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n
See the corrupt Cuban regime\u2019s Rolex collection while their people sit in the dark. https:\/\/t.co\/6wMlNhmNhl\u2014 Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 27, 2026<\/p>\n
The foreign minister also interrupted the US diplomat\u2019s speech by requesting urgent intervention and delivered his own remarks, in which he accused the American envoy of lying in a \u201crude and arrogant manner\u201d and \u201cviolating the dignity of the General Assembly\u201d with his words.
\nRodriguez then approached the podium and engaged in a heated argument with Waltz. In a video posted on X by the US envoy, Waltz can be heard urging the General Assembly president to make the Cuban minister \u201cback away from this podium,\u201d insisting that he would not allow Rodriguez to \u201cintimidate\u201d him on US territory. He then shouted: \u201cI\u2019m the representative of the United States of America! Back up! [\u2026] Do you understand who you are dealing with?! Back up!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Castro regime has profited at the expense of the Cuban people with luxury cars, expensive watches and a private island resort. As I shared this with the world, regime thugs rushed the stage to interrupt my speech.<\/p>\n
They can intimidate their own people in Cuba but think again about trying that nonsense in the United States of America.\u2014 Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 27, 2026<\/p>\n
The American envoy also posted a host of videos on social media, detailing the incident and accusing those he called Cuban \u201cso-called \u2018diplomats\u2019\u201d and \u201cregime thugs\u201d of \u201cmelting down at the first hint of criticism.\u201d
\nRodriguez subsequently addressed the General Assembly, accusing Waltz of lying in a \u201crude and arrogant manner\u201d and \u201cviolating the dignity of the General Assembly\u201d with his remarks.\u00a0
\nHe later shared on X a cartoon depicting the confrontation at the UN with the words \u201cGringo mentiroso\u201d (\u201cLying gringo\u201d) above the two diplomats. He captioned the post: \u201cCuba is not a threat. The blockade is.\u201d<\/p>\n
#CubaNoEsUnaAmenaza El Bloqueo S\u00ed. https:\/\/t.co\/OJd5pcHKBQ\u2014 Bruno Rodr\u00edguez P (@BrunoRguezP) October 28, 2026<\/p>\n
In a separate post, Rodriguez \u201cdenounced the economic war that the United States is waging against Cuba with aims of domination and \u201cregime change”.” Rodriguez blasted the continued blockade as an \u201cact of war\u201d and \u201cgenocide prohibited by the International Law.\u201d He also shared the results of the vote, where he said it was rejected by a \u201clarge majority\u201d of the nations.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
China backs Cuba after Trump says island \u2018will fall\u2019<\/p>\n
A resolution condemning the US embargo of Cuba was supported by 130 countries, including Russia, China, India, and even several US allies such as Canada, France and the UK. It was opposed by 17 nations, including the US, Israel, and Ukraine, with 25 nations abstaining.
\nUS President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Havana since the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. Trump has since repeatedly stated that Cuba would be \u201cnext\u201d as his administration imposed a near-total energy blockade against the island nation.
\nThe restrictions contributed to severe energy shortages on the island. Cuba has entered its worst economic crisis in decades, marked not only by prolonged blackouts but also food shortages. Last month, Trump described Cuba as an \u201cabsolutely failed state\u201d and \u201ca haven for foreign adversaries\u201d on America\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Moscow reacts to US Castro warrant<\/p>\n
Moscow and Beijing have expressed solidarity with Cuba in the face of American pressure. Russia has been among the countries providing relief to Cuba, delivering around 700,000 barrels of oil in March. China also said in late September it would support Cuba in \u201csafeguarding its national sovereignty\u201d and pursuing a \u201cdevelopment path suited to its national conditions.\u201d
\nIn mid-October, the US issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raul Castro, 95, accusing him of ordering an attack on two American planes operated by anti-Communist Cuban exiles off the island\u2019s coast in 1996. The warrant followed a separate federal indictment brought against Castro and five others in May. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the case as a \u201cpolitical maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation\u201d and accused Washington of creating a pretext for a military intervention.
\nMoscow has condemned the accusations against the former Cuban leader as \u201cgroundless\u201d and \u201ccontrived,\u201d calling it a \u201crevenge\u201d by the anti-Cuban lobby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cuba\u2019s top diplomat has branded Mike Waltz a \u201cliar\u201d after the American ambassador accused Havana\u2019s leadership of corruption US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has shouted \u201cBack up!\u201d at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t