UN Rejects US Embargo on Cuba for 34th Year, Resolution Passes 130-17, 25 Nations Abstentions/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Manour/ The U.N. General Assembly condemned the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba on Wednesday by a vote of 130-17, with 25 abstentions. The resolution passed for the 34th year, but support declined significantly following a Trump administration campaign to influence member nations. The vote came amid worsening shortages in Cuba and heated public confrontations between American and Cuban diplomats.
Quick Look
- Vote result: The resolution passed with 130 countries in favor, 17 opposed and 25 abstaining.
- Declining support: More than 160 nations supported last year’s resolution, while only 12 abstained.
- Western shift: Germany, Italy and Latvia refrained from voting for the first time in the resolution’s 34-year history.
- Opposition grows: Countries voting against the measure included Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco and Slovenia.
- Nonbinding measure: The resolution reflects international opinion but does not legally compel Washington to lift the embargo.
- Diplomatic tensions: U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez publicly confronted each other Tuesday.
- Energy crisis: U.S. tariff threats against Cuba’s oil suppliers have effectively cut off fuel deliveries.
- Military rhetoric: Trump recently suggested U.S. warships could stop in Cuba after returning from the Iran war.
Deep Look
UN Condemns Embargo Despite Decline in Support
The U.N. General Assembly voted Wednesday to condemn the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba for the 34th year, although Washington’s lobbying campaign helped produce a substantial decline in international support for the resolution.
The measure passed 130-17, with 25 abstentions.
Last year, more than 160 countries supported the resolution and only 12 abstained. The latest result showed that opposition to the embargo still commanded a large majority, even as more governments declined to endorse the annual condemnation.
General Assembly resolutions of this kind are not legally binding, but they provide a measure of international opinion.
Several Countries Change Their Positions
Germany, Italy and Latvia were among Western countries that refrained from voting for the first time in the resolution’s 34-year history.
Countries voting against the measure included Bosnia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Lithuania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Paraguay and Slovenia. Most had not previously opposed the resolution.
The changes followed an overt Trump administration effort to persuade governments to reconsider their positions.
For Cuba, the diplomatic shift comes during a period of power outages, shortages and deepening financial difficulties as Washington intensifies economic pressure to force changes to the island’s political system.
Cuba and US Offer Competing Arguments
Before the vote, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Washington of using economic pressure against a fellow U.N. member.
“A great power is attacking through economic war a member state of this organization,” Rodríguez said. “Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat.”
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz argued that supporting the resolution would serve Cuba’s government rather than its citizens.
He told member nations that “your vote today is the only thing standing between the corrupt, kleptocratic communist regime and using this body and your vote for another propaganda victory at the expense of the Cuban people.”
General Assembly Debate Turns Confrontational
Wednesday’s vote followed a heated exchange between Waltz and Rodríguez on the General Assembly floor Tuesday.
As Waltz criticized Cuba’s socialist government, Rodríguez approached the podium, called him a liar and attempted to obtain a point of order from the official presiding over the session.
U.N. security officers and personnel intervened.
“This individual needs to back away from this podium. He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America,” Waltz said. “You understand who you’re dealing with? This is America. Back up.”
Rodríguez later responded on X, reminding Waltz that he was speaking at the United Nations rather than attending a White House national security meeting.
“With his crude lies at the UN General Assembly, the U.S. government has launched another desperate attempt to justify its economic aggression against Cuba and its criminal energy blockade,” Rodríguez wrote.
Earlier Dispute Signals Deteriorating Relations
A similar confrontation occurred a week earlier between Waltz and Cuba’s U.N. representative, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán.
That encounter took place outside a U.S.-hosted panel featuring Cuban dissidents and former prisoners. The event focused on allegations of repression by the Cuban government.
The repeated public disputes mark a departure from customary diplomatic decorum at the United Nations and underscore the increasingly contentious relationship between Washington and Havana.
Trump added to those tensions last week by again raising the possibility of military intervention. He suggested American warships could stop in Cuba while returning from the Iran war.
Oil Restrictions Deepen Cuba’s Shortages
The U.S. embargo began in 1960 after Fidel Castro’s revolution ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista and Cuba nationalized property belonging to American citizens and corporations.
Cuba has since faced decades of economic and financial hardship.
The current crisis intensified after Trump announced in late January that countries selling or supplying oil to Cuba would face U.S. tariffs.
That warning has effectively cut off fuel supplies, contributing to widespread electricity outages.
The consequences extend to essential services, including water distribution, internet access and telephone communications.
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