Cuban delegation leaves UN hall after Trump calls the country a “failed state”

Cuba’s delegation left the UN General Assembly hall on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, after he described Havana’s communist regime as “an absolutely failed state” and said that it “will fall.”

Trump said his administration was seeking to bring about fundamental change in Cuba and declared that “freedom will come to Cuba.” The U.S. president also accused the Cuban regime of cultivating ties with radical groups in the United States for decades and said Washington would not allow a “paradise for foreign enemies” to threaten America’s security.

The Cuban delegation left the hall immediately after these remarks, according to the BBC. The incident comes amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Havana. The Trump administration has intensified sanctions against entities associated with Cuba’s military and communist regime, while negotiations led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio have stalled.

The discussions reportedly include economic reforms and the release of political prisoners, but the exact demands of the United States have not been made public. Havana has so far not issued an official response to Trump’s statements or to the gesture by its delegation.