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And has an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly condemned American economic embargo But Cuba For the 33rd year. vote, occurring as hurricane Melissa steamed past the island, reducing Washington’s isolation over the long-standing Caribbean issue, although increasing new friction around the US military buildup.
The non-binding resolution reflecting world opinion passed 165-7 with 12 abstentions. Last year, the vote was 187-2, with the US and Israel voting ‘no’ and one vote abstaining. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary also opposed the measure this year.
US Ambassador Jeff Bartos said after expressing concern for Cuba and other countries in the storm’s path, “The United States government is gratified to see that so many countries are sending a message to the regime that the international community will no longer tolerate its activities”.
Cuban Foreign Minister bruno rodriguez Said that America launched a pressure campaign to influence the voting. He also said his government had heard from other countries, primarily Europe, that the State Department was encouraging them to vote against the resolution.
The department did not respond to requests for comment, and Bartos did not address the claim after Rodriguez repeated it in the Assembly on Wednesday.
America and Cuba face to face during debate in United Nations
Before the vote, the US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, described the annual exercise as “political theater” by Cuba, “to present itself as a victim of aggression while clearly branding itself an ‘enemy of the United States.'”
“I would suggest that our member states stop appeasing the regime with their votes and instead use this vote to send a message to the world,” Waltz said during the debate on Tuesday. He said the vote could also signal to Cuba that it should stop “blaming all of its economic problems on the United States.”
Given the sourness in relations between the countries, Rodriguez formally interrupted Waltz’s comments with a “point of order”, complaining that they were “rude, rude and gross”.
The Cuban envoy said, “Mr. Waltz, this is the United Nations General Assembly. This is not Signal Chat. Nor is this the House of Representatives.”
Waltz responded, “I’m well aware of the place we’re talking about. And it’s not even a Communist illegitimate legislature in Havana.”
Waltz, a former Republican congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser earlier this year before unknowingly adding a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. Waltz has stressed that the chat conforms to government cybersecurity standards.
“We cannot underestimate the importance, the impact, of the powerful message that the General Assembly, which is the most democratic, representative body of the international community, delivers year after year,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “The resolution is not binding, but it is powerful,” he said.
America has objection to calling economic sanctions a blockade.
Storm and military action
The vote took place not only as the storm raged but as the Trump administration stepped up its campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters. Rodriguez said Wednesday that the military buildup is “aggressive, extraordinary and inappropriate.”
The move has strained relations with US allies in the region and fueled speculation that Washington aims to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US has accused him of narco-terrorism, while he has accused the US of trying to destabilize his country and gain control of its oil reserves.
Meanwhile, Cuba has been struggling with an economic and energy crisis since 2020. Its gross domestic product has declined, and its 10 million residents have suffered blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. Waves of protests have erupted and thousands of Cubans have fled, many to the United States.
Cuban officials have blamed COVID-19 shutdowns, tight U.S. sanctions and other factors for the economic slowdown. The island’s communist government says US sanctions cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025, significantly more than the previous year.
The ban was imposed in 1960 after Fidel Castro led a revolution that overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista and nationalized the assets of American citizens and corporations.
In 2016, Cuban President Raul Castro and Democratic President Barack Obama officially restored relations. That year, the United States, for the first time, vetoed a General Assembly resolution to end the embargo.
Obama’s successor, Republican Donald Trump, sharply criticized Cuba’s human rights record. The US voted against the resolution again in 2017 and since then.
The restrictions were significantly increased during Trump’s first term, continued under his successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, and tightened again after Trump returned to office this year.