UN Vote on Cuba Embargo Slides as U.S. Lobbying Shifts Alliances

Diplomatic friction and a targeted lobbying campaign by Washington reduced the international consensus against the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The United Nations General Assembly voted on Wednesday to condemn the decades-old trade ban, but the resolution passed with less support than in previous years. The final count stood at 130 votes in favor, 25 abstentions, and 17 against.

The shift in voting patterns marks a notable change from the previous cycle. In 2025, the vote was 165 in favor, 12 abstentions, and 7 against. This year, several Western nations, including Germany and Italy, chose to abstain for the first time in many years. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, joining a group of 17 nations opposed to ending the sanctions.

U.S. envoy to the UN Mike Waltz expressed satisfaction with the movement in votes. He told reporters that the number of countries changing their position had tripled. Waltz cited major economies like Korea and Germany as examples of the shift. He stated he expected the trend to continue, noting that he was satisfied so many nations had moved away from supporting the resolution.

Tensions between the U.S. and Cuban delegations escalated in the days leading up to the vote. Shouting and shoving occurred on the floor of the General Assembly on Tuesday. Waltz accused Richard Tur de la Concepción, a first secretary at Cuba's UN mission, of assaulting an American diplomat. Waltz announced that Tur de la Concepción would be expelled from the United States and would fly back to Havana that day. Cuba's mission did not immediately respond to the news.

The General Assembly has adopted this resolution every year since the early 1990s, with the exception of 2020. Only the U.S. Congress holds the power to lift the embargo, which has been in place for more than 60 years. President Donald Trump's administration has increased pressure on Havana following the U.S. military removal of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla reacted on X, describing the U.S. as isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people. He referred to the sanctions as an act of collective punishment and genocide. Rodríguez Parrilla argued that pressure and a media circus would not prevail over the force of facts and truth. Cuba currently faces its worst economic downturn in decades, characterized by shortages of basic goods, collapsing infrastructure, and runaway inflation. A total collapse of the electrical grid left millions without power last month.