The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution urging the United States to end its economic embargo against Cuba, despite a significant decline in international support for the measure, which recorded its weakest backing in more than three decades.
Similar resolutions have been presented and approved almost annually since 1992. However, this year’s vote reflected a notable drop in support for the communist-led Caribbean nation.
The resolution, which calls for the removal of US economic, trade and financial restrictions on Cuba, secured 130 votes in favour, while 17 countries voted against it and 25 abstained. The level of support was the lowest recorded since 1995.
This year’s vote took place against the backdrop of an intensified pressure campaign by Washington against Havana, including an oil blockade and sweeping sanctions that have dealt a severe blow to Cuba’s already struggling economy.
In recent weeks, the Cuban government accused the United States of launching a diplomatic campaign aimed at persuading countries to withdraw their backing for the resolution.
Reacting to the outcome on X on Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel celebrated the vote, insisting that the international community had again rejected the US embargo despite pressure from Washington.
“The world has once again spoken out overwhelmingly against the blockade, even despite the most blatant pressure and blackmail from the US to change the course of this vote,” he said.
Diaz-Canel later accused the United States of resorting to “gangster-like coercion” in its efforts to influence other countries.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, also criticised Washington while speaking in New York, accusing the US of attempting to “determine the nation’s destiny” and “seize” the country’s wealth.
However, shortly before the vote, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz rejected claims that Cuba was under a blockade, blaming the country’s economic hardship on its leadership.
“The plight of the Cuban people is exclusively the fault of this corrupt communist regime,” Waltz said.
He argued that Cuba’s ports remained accessible and that the country continued to receive goods from other parts of the world.
“The reality is, today as we speak, there is no ring of US Navy warships around Cuba. Their ports are open. In recent months, data shows that shipments have arrived from around the world," he added.
The vote followed a tense confrontation at the General Assembly on Tuesday, when Rodriguez approached Waltz during a heated exchange and shouted, “You are a liar!” Waltz responded by telling the Cuban foreign minister to back away.
The confrontation disrupted proceedings, forcing the presiding officer to briefly suspend the session and direct representatives of both countries to return to their seats.
During his address against the resolution on Tuesday, Waltz displayed photographs of Cuban leaders, both past and present, including Diaz-Canel, wearing luxury watches. Members of the Cuban delegation responded by repeatedly banging their desks and interrupting his speech.
Waltz also presented satellite images and descriptions of luxury properties, boats, and holidays that he alleged were enjoyed by members of the Castro family and Cuban officials.
“The regime can never find enough fuel for Cuban ambulances. They can never find enough fuel for Cuban buses. But when the Castro family, the elites that are sitting at that table, want to go yachting, suddenly, it’s no problem,” Waltz said.
Speaking on Fox News on Wednesday after the vote, the US ambassador described the previous day’s confrontation as a heated exchange, saying the debate “got a little spicy.”