Cuba Presses Case Against Six-Decade Blockade as Washington Applies Pressure on Sovereign States.

On Oct. 27 and 28, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) holds, for the 34th time, the debate and vote on the resolution presented by Cuba titled: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.”

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Under the slogan “Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is,” the island defends its right to exist without the criminal weight of the blockade, while it considers “unfounded pretexts” the arguments put forward by Washington to maintain and intensify the siege in recent years, as well as denouncing the efforts deployed by the White House to condition Wednesday’s debate, with the use of direct threats and pressures against sovereign states to change their voting intention.

In this forum, Washington’s diplomatic isolation on this question is evidenced year after year, with the majority of the international community demonstrating its support for Cuba’s demand for the immediate cessation of this policy, a global will that is systematically ignored by the North American nation.

Against this backdrop, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez recently warned of the brutal deployment of extreme pressures against numerous states to force them to change their position regarding the draft resolution against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba, particularly with intense coercive efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He explained that the U.S. has been engaged for months in efforts to coerce other governments. He showed several documents that attest to intimidating messages against those nations, which contain lies such as that the U.S. blockade is legal and that the U.S. allows trade with Cuba.

In the documentation presented, the Cuban Foreign Ministry detailed that “the accumulated damages during more than six decades of application of this policy reach US$178.7 billion,” an accounting impact that hinders the obtaining of foreign currency and slows cross-border trade.

The total amount of damages to Cuba derived from the blockade in the period from March 1, 2025, to Feb. 28, 2026, shows a record figure of US$8.083 billion.

The Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry stressed that “the persecution of oil tankers and banking institutions worsened the electricity generation crisis,” by causing continuous failures in the national interconnected system, and blocked the purchase of “medicines for hospital use.”

The consequences derived from this policy of maximum asphyxiation are identified by Havana as the main brake on the country’s economic and social development, while generating invaluable harm to the population, which suffers the hardships caused by a stance of collective punishment described by the highest authorities of the Caribbean archipelago as a “silent genocide.”

The Cuban delegation in New York asserted that “the international community will again choose truth, dignity and international solidarity,” while it will reject “diplomatic maneuvers aimed at fracturing the historical support for the island.”

Cuban FM Rodriguez highlighted that what is unusual in this case is the extreme and unprecedented intensification of the U.S. blockade, to which has been added, under the excuse that the archipelago is a threat to U.S. national security, an energy siege that prevents the arrival of fuel to the country under the risk of sanctions and tariff reprisals, extraterritorial actions that violate international law and free maritime trade.

This will then be the first time that the UNGA pronounces itself as a whole against the energy blockade and the collective punishment against our country, with serious humanitarian damages. In addition to the energy blockade, all Cuban commercial operations are pursued, he noted, as part of a policy to cause deliberately planned damages and destabilize the country by generating suffering and desperation.

The U.S. Permanent Representative Mike Waltz is a disgrace to what it means to be a diplomat.

The man talk, walks, and acts like a character from the film Idiocracy.

Cuba will not stay idly as this person eviscerates the principles of the United Nations.…

— David Ramírez Álvarez 🇨🇺 (@DvidTwit) October 27, 2026

Cuba Calls for Order Against U.S. Representative

Cuban FM Rodriguez urged the United Nations General Assembly to call to order the U.S. representative, Mike Waltz, for offensive statements that lie to distract attention from the consequences of the blockade they impose on the island.

He asked the speaker to prepare better and stop ignoring the serious humanitarian repercussions that the North American siege entails. Finally, he wished Waltz a better performance in his future political positions after describing his current performance as “disastrous.”

Eritrea Calls for Compliance with International Law

The representative of Eritrea, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, urged compliance with international law regarding the question of the blockade against Cuba with respect to United Nations rules.

The African diplomat affirmed that, furthermore, the siege against Cuban medical collaboration with third countries, in which Washington’s stance has persisted, is a cruel maneuver, when this has allowed saving millions of lives around the world, while the U.S. promotes ongoing international conflicts.

Namibia and Africa: With Cuba, Solidarity Over Silence

Namibia joined previous declarations of support for the Cuban resolution while recalling Cuba’s support and participation in the struggle for national liberation on the continent and against Apartheid.

The regional representative noted that these positions are contrary to the rules of free trade among nations. The diplomat announced his vote in favor of the Cuban draft resolution, then recalled that respect for sovereignty and non-interference should be the compass of bilateral relations.

He lastly appealed to the United Nations to assume the responsibility of responding to these injustices and to put solidarity above silence toward Cuba.

At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Singapore condemned the severe human and economic impact of the U.S. blockade on Cuba. 🇸🇬🇨🇺

Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, speaking on behalf of ASEAN, noted that unilateral sanctions caused critical shortages, affecting more than 60% of… pic.twitter.com/AeeiyiWPEg

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 27, 2026

Uruguay Highlights Cuba’s Weight in South-South Cooperation

Uruguay’s representation praised Cuba’s weight as a key link for South-South cooperation, and therefore proposed not only immediately ceasing the North American siege, but also removing it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The South American diplomat expressed concern about the humanitarian consequences of the application of these sanctions and the brake on the achievement of sustainable development goals. She exemplified how these actions constitute an unsustainable threat to the laws of free trade and relations among nations.

She thus extended the solidarity of the group, and in particular of Uruguay, with the Cuban population, while reiterating the unjustifiability of imposing this type of relations between states for political reasons.

NAM Urges Respect for the Cuban People’s Rights

To Cuba’s cause for the lifting of the U.S. blockade was added the representation of Uganda, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In accordance with the bloc’s position, the African nation expressed particular concern about the measures adopted by Washington, which amount to an unprecedented naval blockade without basis in international law.

Uganda also condemned the weight of this measure in expanding the extraterritorial effects of the blockade that affect not only Cubans but also third countries, for which it is not only a bilateral question. Likewise, it urged the international body to mobilize efforts to prevent a military intervention, in violation of the current world order.

Ugandan diplomacy concluded by reiterating the country’s and the bloc’s commitment to cooperate in maintaining multilateralism and in defense of international forums where differences can be settled peacefully.

The United Nations General Assembly will hold its 34th annual debate +vote on October 27–28, 2026, regarding the Cuban blockade

RESIST THE GENOCIDAL WARMONGERS!
STAND WITH CUBA!

Share messages on your socials with the hashtag #CUBAISNOTATHREAT THE BLOCKADE IS@EmbCubaNigeria pic.twitter.com/HQ7CVesEAH

— Movement for African Emancipation (@Arise4freedom) October 27, 2026

ASEAN: Lifting the Blockade Is a Position of Coherence

At the opening of the debate, the representative of Singapore, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), noted that demanding the immediate cessation of the U.S. blockade against the island represents a collective act of coherence in line with the multilateral order based on rules and not on the use of force and coercive pressure.

The regional bloc expressed particular concern about the situation of the Cuban people, who are subjected to effects on the energy sector that hinder the exercise of basic human rights.

It forcefully mentioned the wait for more than 100,000 surgical operations for patients, with a high proportion of children, threatened by the current restrictions.

ASEAN added its voice to the international call of the body’s 81st General Assembly to end the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

6-year-old among those killed in past 2 days; UN investigators accuse Israel of continuing genocide despite ceasefire; 'Sexual violence has been used with the intent to displace & subjugate the Palestinian people'

Russian authorities committed war crimes and crimes against humanity through attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said in a report to the UN General Assembly on 26 October.

International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, issued in June 2024, already covered alleged crimes linked to Russia’s 2022–2023 strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The UN commission’s new report reaches into last winter, 2025–2026, and the cumulative toll since 2022, documenting what the attacks did to civilians living through outages in freezing temperatures.

“As the cold season approaches, the attacks have intensified once again, raising serious concerns about the threats to civilians’ lives and health,” commission chair Erik Møse said.

Russian commanders knew heating facilities were vital

The commission said Russian commanders knew that heating facilities in large cities were indispensable to civilians, particularly during winter. Russian authorities also made official declarations about further attacks and referred to a plan to carry them out, it said. It found that Russian authorities intentionally directed attacks against civilian objects, constituting war crimes.

The commission also concluded that the attacks were carried out under a state policy aimed at depriving civilians of electricity and other essential energy-dependent services and causing suffering. It classified these acts as crimes against humanity in the form of “other inhumane acts.”

Minus 21°C, weeks without heat, and shelters out of reach for older people

Last winter, temperatures fell to minus 21°C as millions of Ukrainians endured prolonged disruptions to heating, electricity, water, and gas, the commission said.

The commission relied on the accounts of 255 people from Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, and Zhytomyr Oblasts, alongside officials, doctors, and nongovernmental organizations.

Older people and those with limited mobility were particularly affected. Fear of becoming trapped in elevators during blackouts prevented some residents from reaching shelters during air raid alerts. They remained in unheated homes, sometimes without access to life-support equipment.

A 53-year-old Kyiv resident told investigators he tried to stay awake at night because he feared he might not wake up if he fell asleep in the cold.

Meanwhile, school closures disrupted children’s education, and children fell ill in unheated homes, the report said.

Russia rejects the findings

Russia’s UN mission said Moscow did not recognize the commission’s mandate and dismissed its findings as “falsified data,” the Associated Press reported.

The commission also examined Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine. It said it could not investigate their impact fully because Russia denied access and did not respond to its requests.

Foreign recruits trafficked to the front

The same report found “compelling evidence” that Russian authorities trafficked men from 29 countries into the Russian armed forces through deception and coercion.

Recruitment agents arranged visas and travel, presenting themselves as legitimate businesses. After arriving in Russia, the men were forced to sign military contracts in Russian and were sent to the front, where many were killed or went missing, the commission said.

The Trump administration has encouraged former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to run for UN secretary-general and discussed a joint US-Russia-China candidacy with Moscow and Beijing, the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) editorial board wrote on 25 October, citing sources in three countries. Russia’s biggest ally in the EU, Orbán has been out of office since May, when Péter Magyar became Hungary’s prime minister.

The UN secretary-general can influence the war through diplomatic negotiations, mediation, and by drawing the Security Council’s attention to Russia’s aggression. António Guterres’s term ends on 31 December, so the council has to settle on a successor within weeks.

According to the WSJ, US officials discussing the next UN chief kept saying they wanted “someone like Orbán,” and their Russian and Chinese counterparts agreed. The US then brought the idea to Orbán himself. Russia and China are believed to support his bid based on those earlier talks with Washington, and the plan is for him to be the three countries’ joint candidate.

Ukraine warns of Orbán’s veto tactics at the UN

Orbán is receptive but has not decided, and he does not want to enter the race unless he is sure he can win, the editorial board wrote. A State Department official counted eight Security Council votes as safe for him and 10 within reach. A candidate needs nine of the 15 votes and no veto from a permanent member. The editorial board asked whether Britain and France, typically cautious in using their veto, would stand in the way. Any announcement is being held until after the 3 November US midterm elections.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that Orbán as secretary-general would put to good use “the masterful veto and blackmail skills” he developed over years of derailing major EU decisions. Ukraine, he added, could share its “great experience of taking him out for coffee at the right moment,” a reference to the December 2023 EU summit, where Orbán left the room so the other leaders could open accession talks with Ukraine without his veto.

Orbán ran Hungary for 16 years as Putin’s closest EU partner

Orbán’s 16 years of “illiberal democracy” eroded democratic values in Hungary. Since 2010, Fidesz has built an enormous partisan media ecosystem. Before the vote, it amended the electoral law twice and gerrymandered more than a third of the electoral districts, so the opposition might need around 55% of the popular vote to win a simple majority. Orbán still lost the 12 April election. Magyar’s Tisza won 138 of 199 seats, a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Orbán kept close ties with Moscow throughout the full-scale war. When he met Putin in Beijing in October 2023, he spoke of “the military operations and the sanctions” rather than a war. In summer 2024, while Hungary held the EU Council presidency, he flew to Moscow on what he called a peace mission, and the EU distanced itself from the trip. In November 2025, he went back to Moscow, seeking to keep Hungary’s access to Russian oil and gas. He is widely considered Putin’s closest partner among EU leaders. After that visit, he said the only solution was for Ukraine to become a buffer state again, and that the longer peace was delayed, the more people and territory Ukraine would lose.

He used Hungary’s veto against Ukraine until his last weeks in office. In February, Orbán vetoed a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine amid the disruption of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. Hungary lifted its veto in April after repairs to the pipeline were announced. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó phoned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from EU meetings for years with “live reports on what’s been discussed,” a European security official told The Washington Post. Szijjártó did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.

Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure, which weaponize winter to inflict suffering, amount to war crimes, a UN inquiry has found.

The assaults on infrastructure, which cut off heat and power on bitterly cold winter days, amounted to a crime against humanity, investigators said.

© Lynsey Addario for The New York Times