130 nations condemn U.S. Cuba embargo in historic vote split

The United Nations General Assembly voted 130-17 on Wednesday to condemn the United States economic embargo of Cuba for the 34th consecutive year. The result marked a sharp decline in support compared to the previous year, when more than 160 nations backed the measure and only 12 abstained. This year, 25 countries abstained from the vote, reflecting a shifting diplomatic stance toward Washington's long-standing policy on the island.

Western nations including Germany, Italy, and Latvia abstained for the first time in the resolution's history. A group of countries that previously supported the condemnation voted against it this year, including Bosnia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Lithuania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Paraguay, and Slovenia. Although General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they serve as a measure of international opinion on the trade restrictions.

The vote occurred against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Havana and Washington. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez argued that the U.S. is waging economic war against a member state. He stated, "Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat." U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz countered that the vote was a propaganda victory for a corrupt regime. He told member nations, "your vote today is the only thing standing between the corrupt, kleptocratic communist regime and using this body and your vote for another propaganda victory at the expense of the Cuban people."

Diplomatic decorum broke down on the assembly floor the day before the vote. On Tuesday, Waltz and Rodríguez engaged in a shouting match while debating the resolution. Rodríguez walked to the podium to challenge Waltz's remarks, calling him a liar and seeking a point of order from the presiding official. Waltz told the Cuban minister to back away from the podium, stating, "This individual needs to back away from this podium. He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America." U.N. security personnel intervened as the two envoys continued to exchange heated words.

Rodríguez later posted on X that the U.S. government was using crude lies to justify its economic aggression. He noted that the exchange took place at the U.N., not at a White House security meeting. A similar confrontation occurred a week earlier involving Waltz and Ernesto Soberón Guzmán outside a panel on Cuban dissidents. These public spats signal a new phase of contentiousness between the two governments, moving away from traditional diplomatic norms.

The U.S. embargo was first imposed in 1960 following the revolution that toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista. In late January, President Donald Trump announced tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba. This move has effectively cut off fuel imports to the island. The resulting shortage has led to widespread power outages that disrupt water supply, internet, and telephone services across the Caribbean nation.