US and Cuba clash at U.N. over Cuba's human rights

World Oct 20, 2026

Things got tense at the U.N. in New York as US and Cuban officials argued over Cuba's human rights record.

The event, which included Cuban dissidents, ended with a heated exchange between the Cuban and US ambassadors as Waltz was leaving the meeting.

U.N. vote on decades-old US embargo

This clash comes just before a big U.N. vote on whether to end the decades-old US trade embargo on Cuba, set for October 27-28.

The US accused Cuba of harassing attendees and hiding behind U.N. resolutions, while Cuba fired back that American sanctions are making everyday life harder for regular Cubans, especially now, as shortages and inflation hit amid a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.