In brief
The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution to end the United States embargo against Cuba with 130 votes for, 17 against and 25 abstentions. The vote saw a shift in Latin American and European positions, with Cuba losing 35 votes of support compared to 2025. Cuban officials denounced the outcome as a continuation of sanctions while U.S. officials blamed Cuba’s internal policy, and various international actors urged solidarity with Cuba.
On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly in New York adopted a resolution to lift the United States embargo against Cuba with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, according to United Press International. The outcome represents a loss of support for Cuba compared to the previous year.
The vote totaled 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, versus 165 votes in favour, seven against and 12 abstentions in 2025, a net drop of 35 supporting votes for Cuba. Another 21 countries did not participate in the vote.
In Latin America, the shift was notable; Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay moved to opposition, while Chile, Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic chose abstention. Colombia, which had supported the resolution in 2025, switched to opposition, and Chile, Peru and Honduras shifted from support to abstention. Costa Rica and Ecuador, which had abstained last year, now voted against the resolution.
Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Nicaragua and Panama were among the regional states that maintained their support for Cuba. In Europe, Germany, Italy and Latvia moved from earlier support or neutrality to an abstention stance, departing from their previous positions.
During the debate, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla condemned the economic and humanitarian consequences of U.S. sanctions and accused Washington of an economic campaign aimed at regime change.
“The consequences fall on people, limit their fundamental human rights, affect third countries and turn the population's essential needs into instruments of political coercion,”
Rodríguez also described U.S. fuel restrictions as equivalent to a naval blockade and accused Washington of collective punishment and genocide, claims echoed in Cuba's official statements.
The Cuban government denounced the vote as a continuation of U.S. sanctions, claiming the United States has waged an intense diplomatic campaign to persuade other governments to reject or abstain from the resolution.
U.S. officials blamed Cuba’s internal policy for the vote’s outcome and criticized the conduct of Cuban delegates. The United States pointed to internal factors rather than external pressure.
In the lead‑up to the vote, African Pan‑Africanist analyst Fortune Madondo urged African nations to stand with Cuba, calling for a single, categorical voice at the General Assembly. Madondo warned that U.S. pressure tactics amounted to blackmail and could target other African states next.
Italian voices also pressed for solidarity. Academic Luciano Vasapollo called for European governments to reject Washington pressure and highlighted the blockade’s humanitarian impact, citing over 883,000 Cubans living in vulnerable conditions as of September 2025. Youth groups Cambiare Rotta, Communist Youth Organization and Student Opposition of the Alternative urged the Italian government to vote in favour of lifting the embargo, stressing the blockade’s harm to Cuban development and the right to self‑determination. The National Italy‑Cuba Friendship Association sent a letter to Minister Antonio Tajani asking her to maintain Italy’s historical opposition to U.S. sanctions and to vote favourably on the resolution.
Cuban Ambassador to the Holy See Leyde Rodriguez decried the blockade as genocidal, claiming it caused $8.083 billion in damages between March 2025 and February 2026 and that it functions as a form of collective punishment that suffocates the national economy.
In Brazil, the General Abreu e Lima Anti‑Imperialist Committee expressed solidarity with Cuba, condemning the U.S. blockade and criticizing the arrest warrant issued by Florida authorities against former Cuban leader Raul Castro, which the committee linked to Washington’s policy.
The resolution passed its 34th iteration, underscoring a long‑standing international desire to end the U.S. embargo, though Cuba’s foreign policy and the White House’s stance continue to shape the debate within the United Nations assemblies.
