During the 48th Graduation Ceremony of Cadets at Nicaragua’s ‘Leonel Rugama’ Police Science University, President Daniel Ortega delivered a forceful condemnation of United States foreign policy toward two Caribbean nations. The Nicaraguan leader emphasized the overwhelming international consensus at the United Nations against the six-decade-long economic blockade imposed by Washington on Cuba, noting that nearly all member states consistently vote for its removal with only minimal opposition.
Ortega specifically pointed to voting patterns, stating, ‘In every vote, almost all countries voted to lift the US blockade. Who voted against it? The delegate from the United States, the delegate from Israel, two or three countries at most.’ This observation highlighted the diplomatic isolation of the US position on the Cuba embargo within the global community.
In a significant expansion of his critique, the Nicaraguan president expressed firm support for acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez while making explosive allegations regarding the disappearance of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Ortega characterized their absence as a kidnapping operation conducted by US military personnel on January 3, demanding their immediate return to Venezuela.
The Central American leader further accused the United States of economic motives behind its Venezuela policy, asserting that Washington’s primary interest lies in the nation’s substantial petroleum resources. Ortega quoted specific figures, alleging the US intends to appropriate ‘thousands of barrels of oil that nation intends to take from the Venezuelan people,’ while portraying Maduro as a leader genuinely committed to peace.
Concluding his address, Ortega extended gratitude to nations worldwide and even within the United States that have mobilized against what he characterized as American aggressions, acknowledging international support for peaceful resolutions to these regional tensions.