The United States, Lithuania and Costa Rica have launched an international initiative called “Nations for a Free Cuba,” bringing government representatives together with Cuban opposition figures and civil society leaders during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys led the Sept. 22 meeting, where participants discussed ways in which democratic governments could increase support for Cuban civil society and human rights advocates. Lithuania's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Budrys met with representatives of the Cuban diaspora to discuss human rights, democracy and international support for civil society.

Budrys said Lithuania supports the aspirations of Cubans to live in a free and democratic country and condemned what he described as repression by the Cuban regime. He also criticized Havana's support for Russia's war against Ukraine and said Lithuania would continue backing Cuban human rights defenders and democratic movements.

The initiative gives Cuban opposition groups a new international forum as the Trump administration has made pressure on Havana a significant part of its Western Hemisphere policy. President Donald Trump also addressed Cuba during his speech to the U.N. General Assembly this week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has maintained a longstanding focus on political conditions on the island.

For Lithuania, the effort also draws on its own history of breaking away from Soviet rule. Budrys has argued that Lithuania's experience transitioning from communism gives it a particular perspective on supporting democratic movements abroad.

Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, said the meeting represented an important step toward giving Cuban opposition groups multilateral backing. The coalition said the gathering was notable because representatives of several democratic governments were discussing how to support Cubans seeking political change.

Costa Rica has also taken a harder diplomatic position toward Havana. The country participated in the New York meeting as part of the emerging initiative, adding a Latin American government to the effort alongside the United States and Lithuania.

The initiative comes as Cuba continues to face severe economic and energy problems, including nationwide blackouts and fuel shortages. The international effort is still developing, but participants are seeking to turn support for Cuban dissidents from primarily bilateral U.S. policy into a broader coalition involving multiple governments and civil society organizations.