Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, has accused United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio of pressuring and blackmailing foreign leaders to change their countries’ positions ahead of a United Nations General Assembly vote on the decades-old US economic embargo against the Caribbean nation.
Rodríguez made the allegation in a post on his official X account, claiming that Washington was seeking to weaken international opposition to the embargo before the anticipated vote on a resolution calling for its removal.
He accused Rubio of attempting to influence heads of state and government through pressure and what he described as blackmail, arguing that the United States was trying to suppress international criticism of measures Havana considers collective punishment against the Cuban population.
“The Secretary of State of the US, nervous and anxious in the face of another new defeat at the United Nations, is pressuring and blackmailing heads of state and government of several countries to change their vote against the blockade in the UN General Assembly,” Rodríguez said.
The Cuban Foreign Minister further alleged that Washington was using repeated claims and fresh diplomatic initiatives to silence criticism of its policy towards Cuba and draw other countries into supporting what he described as an unjust campaign against the island’s people.
The allegation comes amid an intensifying diplomatic contest between Havana and Washington over the annual UN resolution opposing the American embargo, which has been in place since 1962.
The forthcoming vote is expected to test the level of international support for Cuba at a time of mounting economic difficulties on the island and renewed US efforts to persuade governments to reconsider their backing for the resolution.
According to reports, the US State Department confirmed that Rubio spoke with El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, on October 13, urging alignment on shared priorities at the United Nations, including the question of Cuba.
However, the reported call does not, by itself, establish Rodríguez’s allegation that the United States threatened or blackmailed governments over their votes.
The diplomatic dispute also reflects a broader disagreement over the purpose and consequences of the embargo. Washington has defended its pressure on Havana by arguing that Cuba needs political and economic reforms, while the Cuban government maintains that US restrictions violate its sovereignty and worsen the hardship faced by ordinary citizens.
At the United Nations, the General Assembly has repeatedly adopted resolutions calling for an end to the embargo. In the 2025 vote, the resolution received 165 votes in favour, seven against and 12 abstentions, indicating substantial, although reduced, support for Cuba compared with previous years.
The proposed resolution is not legally binding, but its adoption has remained an important diplomatic measure of international opinion on US policy towards Havana.
Cuba has also blamed the tightening of US restrictions on fuel supplies for aggravating electricity shortages and disrupting transport, healthcare, production and water services. Washington, however, continues to argue that pressure is necessary to encourage changes in Cuba’s political and economic system.
Neither the Cuban allegation nor the reported diplomatic contacts alone establish that countries have changed, or will change, their positions because of US pressure.
The controversy is likely to intensify diplomatic lobbying ahead of the vote, as both governments seek to influence international opinion over an embargo that has remained one of the longest-running sources of tension between the United States and Cuba.
