[VIDEO] Cuba delegation walks out as Trump calls country an ‘absolutely failed state’ at UNGA
US President Donald Trump described Cuba as an “absolutely failed state” during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, saying the country’s communist government “will fall” amid increasing economic and geopolitical pressure.
Trump’s remarks prompted the Cuban delegation to leave the General Assembly chamber while he delivered his 37-minute speech, which focused on a range of threats he said the United States faces from abroad.
During the address, Trump said his administration was pursuing a “fundamental change” in Cuba and disclosed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was involved in diplomatic discussions with the Cuban government.
“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,” Trump told world leaders. “It’s an absolutely failed state. It’s failing like never before, and it will fall.”
Trump referred to negotiations being handled by Rubio but provided limited details about the discussions.
“Marco Rubio is handling a negotiation. He’s deep into negotiations with Cuba. Let’s see what happens,” Trump said, adding that the US would not accept “to allow a haven for foreign adversaries to threaten America on our own doorstep.”
“Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to Cuba,” Trump said.
Cuban delegation leaves UN session
The Cuban diplomatic delegation walked out of the UN session as Trump continued his criticism of Havana.
After the speech, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez, who headed the delegation, rejected Trump’s description of Cuba, calling his assertions “falsehoods” and “slanders.”
“The US government is unable to accept that Cuba is, and has the right to be, a fully independent and sovereign country,” Rodríguez wrote on X.
Rodríguez also criticised the broader US embargo and restrictions on energy supplies to Cuba, warning about their impact on the Cuban population.
“The economic blockade, including the energy siege, only threatens Cuba and the rest of the nations,” Rodríguez wrote. “It is an act of genocide and collective punishment. We are a country of peace and we deserve peace.”
Cuba has faced mounting economic pressure following a US oil blockade imposed in January, which came on top of the decades-old embargo and additional sanctions.
The Trump administration’s measures, aimed at pressuring the Cuban government by restricting its access to funding, have contributed to worsening power outages, disruptions to public transport, infrastructure problems and shortages of food and medicine, according to the supplied report.