Cuba has rejected statements made by US President, Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly, where he said the communist-ruled island was under intense pressure and would eventually fall.

Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez criticised Trump’s remarks, describing them as false claims and reaffirming Cuba’s right to remain a sovereign and independent country.

Rodríguez said the United States could not deny Cuba’s sovereignty or its right to determine its own future.

“We are a country of peace and we deserve peace,” the foreign minister said while leading Cuba’s delegation at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Cuban representatives also walked out of the assembly hall during Trump’s address as the US president spoke about the situation in Cuba.

Trump said his administration was seeking a fundamental change in Cuba, describing the country as a failed state and claiming that the communist government was facing unprecedented pressure.

He also said that while communism would not take hold in the United States, freedom would eventually come to Cuba.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel separately criticised Trump’s remarks, accusing the US administration of using what he described as hostile rhetoric against the Cuban people.

Díaz-Canel argued that Washington had failed to justify its policies toward Cuba and said claims that the island posed a threat were unfounded.

Tensions between Washington and Havana have intensified under the Trump administration, with the United States imposing additional measures against Cuba and increasing pressure on its government.

Trump had previously described Cuba as a threat to US national security and has indicated that his administration wants significant political change on the island.

The latest exchange at the United Nations has further highlighted the strained relationship between the two countries.