Support for UN vote to end US embargo on Cuba falls to 30-year low
Similar resolutions have been approved almost every year since 1992, but usually by overwhelming margins.
In a recent vote at the UN General Assembly, support for ending the US embargo on Cuba has reached a 30-year low. The resolution, which has been proposed and approved almost every year since 1992, garnered 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions, marking the lowest level of support since 1995. Last year, over 160 countries backed the proposal, but this year several countries, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Morocco, Slovenia, and Bosnia, voted against it, many for the first time.
The UN resolution, though not legally binding, serves as a reflection of international opinion, calling for the lifting of the economic, trade, and financial embargo imposed on Cuba. The US embargo, in place since 1960 following Fidel Castro's revolution and the nationalization of US-owned property, has recently seen renewed pressure from Washington. This includes restrictions on oil supplies and broad sanctions, which have severely impacted Cuba's already struggling economy.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz vehemently denied that Cuba was under a blockade and asserted that the situation in Cuba is solely the fault of the "corrupt communist regime." The Cuban government accused the US of launching a diplomatic offensive to pressure countries into withdrawing their support for the resolution. A heated exchange between Waltz and Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez ensued, with Rodríguez accusing Waltz of lying and Waltz shouting for Rodríguez to back away.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the US of seeking to "determine the nation's destiny" and "seize its wealth." The US ambassador retaliated by accusing senior Cuban officials of leading luxurious lifestyles while ordinary Cubans faced shortages. In response to the vote, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the US of employing "gangster-like coercion," stating that the world had once again spoken out overwhelmingly against the blockade, despite US pressure and "blackmail."
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