Trump—who exceeded the 15-minute time limit allotted to speakers at the podium during the opening day of the High-Level Segment of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly—devoted a significant portion of his address to highlighting his administration’s alleged achievements and discussing U.S. military might.

Minutes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for global power to be exercised through law and peace rather than force, Trump emphasized that he would not hesitate to use force if the United States feels threatened.

Speaking about the Western Hemisphere and the changing global landscape, Trump resorted to the oft-repeated argument that “Cuba is an absolutely failed state”—a potential pretext for military aggression against the country located just 90 miles from the United States.

According to Trump, Cuba “is failing like never before and will eventually fall.” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla immediately responded via a post on the social media platform X: “The U.S. government is incapable of accepting that Cuba is—and has the right to be—a fully independent and sovereign country.”

He warned that “none of the U.S. President’s falsehoods at the UN, nor any slander, can or will ever deny that fact.”

“Cuba is not a threat to the U.S. or to any other country,” reiterated Rodriguez Parrilla, stressing that “the economic blockade—including the energy embargo—does indeed threaten Cuba and other nations. It is an act of genocide and collective punishment. We are a peaceful country and we deserve peace.”

On the online platform itself, the Cuban Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for the remarks made by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rejecting the blockade, which is described as genocidal and a form of collective punishment on the Cuban people.

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