The resolution passed with 130 countries voting in favour, 17 against and 25 abstaining. That compared with 165 votes in favour, seven against and 12 abstentions in 2025, marking a substantial shift in the international response to American sanctions.
Germany and Italy were among countries that abstained after supporting the measure for years. The United States and Israel voted against it, alongside Ukraine, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. The result nevertheless preserved a clear majority demanding that Washington end its economic, commercial and financial restrictions.
The General Assembly’s decision is not legally binding and does not compel Washington to change its sanctions. Congress holds the authority to repeal the central provisions of the embargo, which has remained in place through successive American administrations.
US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz welcomed the change in voting patterns, highlighting the decisions of major economies including Germany and South Korea to move away from their previous positions. Washington had urged governments to reconsider their support for Havana ahead of the ballot.
Cuba accused the Trump administration of applying diplomatic pressure and threatening consequences for countries that continued to support the resolution. The American government has defended its efforts to persuade other delegations, arguing that the Cuban authorities bear responsibility for the island’s political repression and economic difficulties.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla told the assembly that sanctions were affecting ordinary citizens through shortages of medicines, food and fuel. He rejected Washington’s characterisation of Cuba as a security threat and said restrictions on financial transactions and imports were worsening conditions for households and hospitals.
Waltz challenged Cuba’s account, arguing that the communist government’s domestic policies, rather than American measures alone, had caused the country’s economic problems. The competing statements underscored the dispute over how much responsibility the embargo bears for Cuba’s deepening humanitarian and energy crisis.
The United Nations said Wednesday’s result represented the weakest support for the resolution in two decades. It was the 34th adoption of the measure since the assembly began considering the issue in 1992. The annual vote was not held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Changes were particularly visible among European and Latin American delegations. Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay joined Argentina in voting against the measure. Chile, Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic abstained, demonstrating that the division extended beyond Washington’s traditional allies.
Canada maintained its support for ending the embargo, while South Africa backed the resolution and called for renewed dialogue between Havana and Washington. The differing positions illustrated how governments could oppose American trade restrictions while expressing separate concerns about political conditions and governance in Cuba.
The vote took place amid a severe fuel shortage on the island. Restrictions affecting oil supplies have compounded electricity outages and transport disruptions, while shortages of essential goods have placed additional pressure on households already struggling with limited purchasing power.
Cuba maintains that American sanctions obstruct international payments, shipping and access to supplies. Washington disputes the suggestion that its policies are the sole cause of the crisis, pointing instead to structural weaknesses, state management and restrictions within Cuba’s economy.
Tensions between the delegations spilled into confrontations during the assembly’s debate. Waltz accused Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepción of assaulting an American official and announced action to expel him. Cuba disputed the American account and lodged a complaint concerning the conduct of the US official involved.
The diplomatic dispute accompanied sharp exchanges between Waltz and Rodríguez during the debate, reflecting the deterioration in relations between the two governments. Both delegations used their addresses to challenge the other’s explanation of the humanitarian situation and the legitimacy of American pressure.
The assembly considered the text under its established agenda item on ending the embargo. The resolution specifically addresses economic, commercial and financial restrictions, rather than requiring member states to endorse Cuba’s wider political positions. Twenty-one of the organisation’s 193 member states did not participate in Wednesday’s recorded vote, leaving the adopted resolution as a statement of the positions of those delegations that voted or abstained. The recorded tally also excluded governments that were absent from proceedings altogether.
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