Top Cuban diplomat accuses US of threatening countries that vote with Cuba at United Nations

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez accused ‌the ​United States on Wednesday of threatening member states of the United Nations with sanctions should they side with Cuba in next week's ‌annual UN vote on a resolution calling for an end to a US embargo on the island. "The US State Department is exerting unprecedented pressure — at times in a personal and brazen manner by ‌the secretary of state himself — to get UN member states to change their votes," Rodriguez said.

Tensions ‌between the two nations are soaring ahead of the vote on the non-binding resolution, which has passed in favor of Cuba in the UN General Assembly by wide margins every year since 1992. Rodriguez told reporters at a press conference ⁠in Havana that ​US officials had threatened ⁠to deny visas and impose trade and economic sanctions on UN members that side with Cuba at the United Nations.

The ⁠US State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the allegations. US ambassador ​to the UN, Mike Waltz, earlier this week called on countries to vote against the ⁠resolution supporting Cuba, calling it "an excuse to justify (Cuba's) oppression, to justify the misery of the Cuban people."

The UN vote to condemn ⁠the ​US blockade is expected to take place on October 27-28, officials said. The US has imposed a trade embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years.

The administration of US President Donald ⁠Trump, however, has ramped up pressure on Cuba since January, imposing a fuel blockade on the island and ⁠stiff sanctions against ⁠a swath of Cuban officials and state entities. The UN vote against the US blockade can carry political weight, but only the US Congress can lift ‌the Cold ‌War-era embargo.