In brief
The General Assembly approved the resolution 130‑17‑25, marking the 34th vote. Cuba’s backing dropped 35 votes as several Latin American and European nations shifted to opposition or abstention. Cuban officials condemned the embargo as a blockade, while U.S. officials blamed internal Cuban policy for the setback.
In a United Nations General Assembly vote held from October 27–28, 2026, the international body approved a resolution to end the United States embargo on Cuba, but with a notable decline in support from the previous year. The resolution passed 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, down from 165, seven and 12 in 2025, a loss of 35 votes for Cuba, according to United Press International.
Latin American states such as Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay voted against the measure; Chile, Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic abstained. Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Nicaragua and Panama maintained their support. In Europe, Germany, Italy and Latvia shifted to abstention, departing from positions held the year before. The shifts reflected a change in the geopolitical landscape that many analysts attribute to a concerted U.S. diplomatic campaign.
Brazylian, African and Italian advocacy groups urged their governments to vote in favour of the resolution, demanding an end to what they described as Washington’s “economic and political blockade.” The National Italy‑Cuba Friendship Association, the General Abreu e Lima Anti‑Imperialist Committee, and various youth organisations all called for Italy to maintain its historic opposition to U.S. sanctions.
Unconfirmed claims of U.S. blackmail and selective pressure appear in opinion pieces by Pan‑Africanist analyst Fortune Madondo and Italian scholar Luciano Vasapollo, who accuse the United States of “threatening” other states to alter their votes. These remarks, while widely circulated, have not been substantiated by official statements.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla condemned the sanctions, noting that they restrict "fuel, medicine and food" and comparing U.S. fuel limits to a naval blockade. A statement posted on X added that the sanctions amount to "collective punishment" and constitute "genocide," accusations echoed by Cuban Ambassador Leyde Rodriguez to the Holy See.
In a press conference, Leyde Rodriguez highlighted that the blockade had caused an estimated $8.083 billion of damage between March 2025 and February 2026 and that cumulative losses over decades reach $178.7 billion in current prices.
President Miguel Diaz‑Canel, speaking on X, hailed the vote as a "victory for the heroic Cuban people," stating that "the outcome is a triumph of truth over those who rely on lies and blackmail." He praised the international community’s opposition to the embargo and argued that the United Nations had performed "a laudable act of solidarity."
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have blamed Cuba’s internal policies for the loss of support and criticised the conduct of Cuban delegates. No direct statements from Washington were provided by the United Press International coverage, leaving that stance unconfirmed in the immediate context of the vote.
