U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla engaged in a verbal confrontation at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The exchange occurred during a debate regarding the United States economic embargo against Cuba.
The incident follows a period of friction between the two countries. The Trump administration has implemented an energy blockade and sanctions intended to pressure the Cuban government, which officials say has contributed to power outages and an energy crisis on the island. Additionally, U.S. officials have cited the January capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the February start of the Iran war as context for their current foreign policy posture toward Cuba.
Video of the encounter shows Waltz at the podium as Cuban officials approached him. Waltz told the delegation to "back away from this podium" and stated he would not be intimidated. Foreign Minister Rodríguez responded by calling Waltz a "liar." Waltz subsequently posted several clips of his speech to social media, where he accused Cuban officials of profiting while their citizens suffered and compared their actions at the U.N. to the treatment of political prisoners in Havana.
Rodríguez defended his delegation’s actions on social media, stating that the U.S. government used "crude lies" to justify "economic aggression" and a "criminal energy siege." He characterized the U.S. embargo as an "act of collective punishment" against the Cuban people. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a Fox News interview that the Cuban economy is non-functional and that the current government is failing to govern effectively.
What happens next: The U.N. General Assembly debate on the embargo typically concludes with a non-binding vote on a resolution calling for the end of the U.S. blockade, though the specific date for this vote was not reported. In the U.S., the administration continues to face a year-end funding fight in Congress. The impact of the energy siege on Cuba’s grid remains ongoing, with no scheduled date for the lifting of sanctions reported.