UN condemns US sanctions on Cuba as 17 countries vote against resolution amid Washington's push

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to condemn the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba for the 34th consecutive year, but the support for this resolution has significantly decreased since the Trump administration's push for countries to alter their positions. The resolution garnered 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions on Wednesday, October 28.

Last year, 165 countries backed the measure, with seven opposing it and 12 abstaining. This year's result indicates a notable shift in international support, with Germany, Italy, and Latvia among the Western nations that abstained from voting. The resolution, while not legally binding, prevents Washington from ending the embargo.

Only the U.S. Congress can lift the restrictions, which have been in place for over six decades. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz expressed satisfaction with the changing voting patterns, claiming that major economies like South Korea and Germany have altered their stance. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticized the U.S. policy, stating that it is causing harm to ordinary people on the island.

"A great power is attacking through economic war a member state of this organization. Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat," Rodríguez said. Tensions between the two countries escalated during the General Assembly on Tuesday, with Waltz and Rodríguez engaging in a shouting match. Waltz accused a Cuban diplomat of assaulting an American diplomat, threatening Richard Tur de la Concepcion, a first secretary at Cuba's UN mission, with expulsion from the United States.

In response, Cuba lodged a complaint with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Despite the latest UN vote, the restrictions persist, and Washington uses the decline in support for the resolution as a stronger diplomatic argument in its campaign against Havana.