On October 29, 2026, Cuba’s top leadership issued a forceful public statement reinforcing the nation’s unyielding commitment to defending its sovereign rights on the global diplomatic stage, amid ongoing debates at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, shared the official remarks via his verified account on social media platform X, framing his message against the backdrop of widespread international pushback against longstanding U.S. hostile measures targeting the island nation. Díaz-Canel opened his address by praising the Cuban diplomatic delegation stationed at UN headquarters in New York, singling out lead representative Bravo and all team members for their resolute pushback against what he described as repeated acts of imperial disrespect, arrogance, and coercive overreach from Washington. He emphasized that the delegation’s firm posture was a direct reflection of the collective will of the Cuban people, who have never accepted external dictates that undermine their national self-determination. The Cuban head of state went on to highlight the foundational purpose of the UN headquarters as a global forum designed to uphold full sovereign equality for all member states, regardless of size or geopolitical influence. He pledged that Cuba would never retreat from defending every right enshrined in the UN Charter and the organization’s official regulatory frameworks, alongside the inherent dignity of Cuban citizens and the legacy of the nation’s national heroes, against any opposing force. Drawing on observations from the opening days of the 81st General Assembly session, Díaz-Canel noted that a clear majority of participating nations had publicly voiced their condemnation of the decades-long U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade of Cuba, denouncing Washington’s policy of maximum asphyxiation that inflicts widespread harm on ordinary Cuban households. He pointed out that many of the speakers who took a firm pro-Cuba stance represented formal regional political and economic blocs, underscoring the broad cross-continental consensus against the U.S. measures. Díaz-Canel further called attention to the notable isolation of the U.S. diplomatic representative during the assembly debates, stating that the U.S. envoy lacked the credibility and courage to publicly justify two particularly contentious sets of policies: the ongoing criminal energy siege that restricts Cuban access to global energy supplies, and successive U.S. moves to expand the extraterritorial reach of the blockade, which punishes third-party nations and private entities that conduct legitimate commercial exchanges with Cuba. In his closing remarks, the Cuban president warned that while Washington may continue to deploy tactics including targeted pressure on sovereign governments, diplomatic intimidation, and the spread of misleading fabricated narratives to discredit Cuba, the overwhelming majority of the global community recognizes where the truth lies, and will continue to speak out in defense of multilateralism and equal rights for all UN member states. The statement, first reported by Cuban state media outlet Granma, comes as the UN General Assembly prepares to hold its annual non-binding vote on a resolution calling for an immediate end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba, a measure that has historically garnered near-unanimous support from the global body.
“Cuba will not retreat, and even less so in the face of Yankee pressure and orders”
