Pressure from Washington has led to the suspension of air routes and the withdrawal of international companies.
On Wednesday, the National Office of Statistics and Information published a report showing that the U.S. energy blockade has caused a decrease in tourism to Cuba.
This Caribbean nation received 65.1 percent fewer international visitors in the first nine months of this year than in the same period of 2025. Cuba received 477,707 international visitors from January to September, down 890,140 from the same period a year earlier.
Canada, Cuba’s largest source market for international tourists, saw the steepest decline, with visitor numbers falling by 430,460. Arrivals from Russia decreased by 67,205, while visits by Cubans living abroad dropped by 60,081. The number of visitors from the U.S. fell by 42,984.
Tourism is one of the Caribbean country’s main sources of foreign currency, but the sector is going through a crisis marked by suspended air routes, hotel closures and the withdrawal of international companies.
CUBAN FM RESIST THE BLOCKADE AT THE UN
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stood up to US Ambassador Mike Waltz at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, in a confrontation that laid bare the deepening hostility over Washington's escalating economic war of aggression on the… pic.twitter.com/3Fqg5K0PzX
In July, the Cuban government said that U.S. pressure had prompted seven international hotel chains to withdraw from the island, including Spain’s Melia, Iberostar and Barcelo.
The crisis has been compounded by U.S. restrictions on oil supplies imposed since January, including threats of tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the island, as well as expanded sanctions introduced in May.
Cuba has been subject to a U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade for more than six decades. In June, Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power approved a package of 176 economic and social reform measures aimed at liberalizing the economy, including provisions to attract new investors and expand private-sector participation in tourism.
The nonbinding resolution passed with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions.
On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved a resolution presented by Cuba against the U.S. blockade, with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions.
Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador, and Costa Rica were the Latin American countries that joined the United States in voting against the nonbinding resolution titled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba.”
“The world has once again spoken out overwhelmingly against the blockade, despite the most blatant pressure and blackmail by the U.S. to change the course of this vote,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media.
“This victory for Cuba today in the UNGA is a victory for the heroic Cuban people, who refuse to surrender in the face of economic strangulation, threats and abuses by the U.S. government.”
“It is the triumph of truth over those who resort to lies and blackmail to subject an entire nation to collective punishment. Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is!” the revolutionary leader stressed.
BREAKING 🇨🇺🇺🇳 The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly condemned the genocidal US blockade of Cuba for the 34th time. pic.twitter.com/WbPSMmHL7x
The U.S. Blockade Causes $23 Million In Damages Per Day
Before the vote, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez forcefully rebutted the United States, which denies that a blockade against the island exists. He said the economic war against Cuba causes more than US$22.9 million in economic damage in a single day.
Rodriguez displayed a real-time counter tracking the economic impact of the U.S. blockade. The counter began operating on Tuesday, coinciding with the start of the debate in the General Assembly on the annual resolution against the sanctions.
“The blockade kills and silently punishes our population as never before,” Rodriguez said and warned that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump “has unleashed a wave of pressure, intimidation and blackmail” against countries to prevent them from supporting the resolution, a text that has been approved almost unanimously year after year since 1992.
“The U.S. blockade is an act of war, collective punishment, and genocide… Its effects are felt at Cuban families’ dinner tables, in the beds of the sick, during childbirth or in operating rooms, in a child’s food or classroom, in the lack of electricity, drinking water and medicines, and in the high prices of goods essential to life,” Rodriguez pointed out.
Among other things, he denounced that Cuba faces shortages of 70% of the medicines on its basic list and that about 100,000 people, including 12,000 children, are awaiting surgery. All of this is “a consequence of the blockade.”
“What Cuba is asking for is to be left in peace, to allow the Cuban people to live in peace, resolve our own problems peacefully and find solutions to the great difficulties facing the world today, free from political, military, cognitive or economic aggression,” Rodriguez concluded.
“Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is.” 🇨🇺🇺🇳
In his speech, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the cynicism and hypocrisy of labeling the island an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the national security of the world's greatest nuclear power.
Debate on a nonbinding resolution takes place amid U.S. pressure on countries ahead of the vote.
On Tuesday, the Cuban government thanked the international community for its support in opposing the U.S. blockade during the first day of debate at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a nonbinding resolution calling for an end to U.S. sanctions.
“Today at the United Nations, the overwhelming support of the international community for Cuba in condemning the blockade and opposing the U.S. government’s policy of maximum strangulation was evident. Most speakers, some representing regional blocs, were clear in their denunciations,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said.
He also referred to the incidents involving U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who made unfounded accusations against the Cuban government during his address to the General Assembly.
“During the debate, the U.S. representative, in clear isolation, did not have the courage to explain to the world the reason for the criminal energy siege imposed on the Cuban people, or for the strengthening of the blockade’s extraterritorial reach,” the Cuban president said.
“They may pressure sovereign nations, intimidate them and make distracting fabrications, but the overwhelming majority knows which side the truth is on and will continue to say it loud and clear: Cuba Is Not a Threat, the blockade is!” he added.
BREAKING: Cuba’s UN delegation, led by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, confronts US ambassador Mike Waltz during a debate on the US blockade.
The UN General Assembly will hold its 34th annual vote this week condemning the US blockade on Cuba. Cuban representatives… pic.twitter.com/YuMyUzbT9F
In social media posts, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also thanked those who had called for an end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba, including the energy siege and secondary sanctions.
Earlier, Rodriguez and Waltz engaged in a heated argument during the session. Amid mutual accusations from the two representatives, UNGA President Khalilur Rahman threatened to suspend the session.
The current debate over the U.S. blockade, which has been in place for more than six decades, is taking place amid an oil blockade and secondary sanctions imposed by Washington.
The debate is also taking place amid allegations that President Donald Trump’s administration is pressuring countries to influence their votes and prevent widespread support for Cuba.
The resolution, titled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba,” has received the support of the overwhelming majority of the international community at the United Nations every year since 1992.
Previously, U.S. Ambassador Waltz urged member states to reject Havana’s annual resolution against the blockade.
On Oct. 27 and 28, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) holds, for the 34th time, a debate and vote on a resolution presented by Cuba titled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba.”
On Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the U.S. government of lying “in a crude and permanent manner” to the countries represented at the UNGA.
“With its crude lies at the UNGA, the U.S. government has launched a new desperate attempt to justify its economic aggression against Cuba and its criminal energy blockade,” he said, lashing out at U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and criticizing his “arrogance and haughtiness.”
“He forgets that he is at the United Nations. He is not at the U.S. National Security Council, in a Green Beret unit, or in a Signal group, where he has repeatedly demonstrated his incompetence and inability,” Rodriguez stated.
The Cuban diplomat said Waltz’s remarks before the General Assembly “are part of a media circus, threats and an election campaign” to which Washington “devotes substantial financial and human resources.”
“There is no justification for maintaining the act of collective punishment to which the Cuban people are subjected,” Rodriguez stressed.
Waltz Seeks to Put a Positive Spin on the U.S. Blockade
During his address, Waltz called on countries to vote against the text presented by Cuba, arguing that doing otherwise would contribute “to the mistreatment of the Cuban people.”
He also accused Cuban authorities of using the annual UN resolutions against the blockade as though they were international endorsements of the revolutionary government.
On Wednesday, more than 30 countries are expected to deliver speeches before the vote on the 34th resolution concerning the blockade against Cuba.
Since 1992, Cuba has presented this nonbinding resolution annually. In 2025, it received 165 votes in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions.
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.”
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.…
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
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
— 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.
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