UN Support for Ending US Embargo on Cuba Falls to Lowest Level in 20 Years
The UN General Assembly voted 130 to 17 to condemn the US embargo on Cuba for the 34th consecutive year, but support collapsed from 165 votes the previous year — the weakest backing in two decades — after a US diplomatic pressure campaign.
The United Nations General Assembly voted on October 28, 2026 for the 34th consecutive year to call for an end to the United States' economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. The resolution passed 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions, with 21 countries absent. The result marks a dramatic decline from 2025's vote of 165 in favour, seven against, and 12 abstentions — a drop of 35 yes-votes in a single year and the weakest showing in roughly two decades. The shift followed an unusually aggressive US diplomatic offensive in the lead-up to the vote: Washington threatened countries with tariffs, visa restrictions and other penalties if they voted to condemn the embargo. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said he was satisfied that countries including South Korea and Germany had changed their positions. Cuban officials accused the US of coercion and condemned what they called economic blackmail. The embargo, first imposed in 1962, has been a perennial target of UN resolutions. Cuba's government blamed the embargo for severe economic hardship, while the US defended it as legitimate pressure over human rights concerns.
