Full Breakdown
Trump’s UN Speech Triggers Cuban Delegation Walkout
By Drooid · · How we work
The Walkout at the UN General Assembly
While he was speaking, the Cuban delegation left the hall in protest.
Background to U.S.–Cuba Tensions
The United States has maintained a trade embargo on Cuba for more than six decades. In 2026 the Trump administration intensified pressure: an effective oil blockade began in January, cutting off Venezuelan oil supplies, and the United States imposed more than two dozen sanctions targeting Cuban military entities, the nickel sector, and mineral-extraction enterprises.
Data on Recent Sanctions and Blockade
- January 2026 – Effective oil blockade ends Cuban access to Venezuelan oil.
- 2026 – Over two dozen sanctions announced, including measures against the Cuban military, nickel sector, and state-run weapons entities.
- Negotiations – Rubio described as “deeply involved” in talks with Havana.
Official Statements & Responses
- Marco Rubio (as quoted by the president): “Marco Rubio is handling the negotiations. He is deeply involved in negotiations with Cuba. We’ll see what happens.”
- Carlos Fernández de Cossío (Washington meeting, Sept.
Criticism & Opposition
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil condemned the U.S.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American Republican, criticized the administration’s immigration and oil-deal policies, saying Hispanic voters “felt betrayed.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure — the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under. It’s an absolutely failed state,” — President Trump, assemblywalked outduring president
- “Communism will never be coming to America — but freedom will be coming to Cuba and safety and security will be coming to Mexico,” — President Trump, assemblywalked outduring president
- “With these very consequential midterms coming up, it seems we’re seeing a pause in the diplomatic activity that was bringing attention to the administration’s ‘business-not-politics’ approach to Cuba,” — Eduardo Gamarra
- “In the last nine months the Cuban government has approved more reforms and changes than at any time going back to the revolution of 1959,” — John Kavulich, president of the U
- “The communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under,” — President Trump, assemblywalked outduring president
- “Communism will never come to America, but freedom will come to Cuba. Security will come to Cuba and Mexico,” — President Trump, assemblywalked outduring president
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Sources describe the sanction tally as “more than two dozen” and “over two dozen”. The exact number remains unspecified.
- The precise content of the “fundamental change” the United States demands is not detailed in any source.
What’s Next
President Trump indicated that negotiations are ongoing and that “we’ll see what happens” regarding Cuba. No specific future date for a formal resumption of talks has been announced, and the UN session continues with further statements expected from both governments.