The United Nations General Assembly has voted for the 34th year to condemn the US economic embargo on Cuba, but support for the resolution fell sharply after the Trump administration pushed countries to change their positions.
The resolution received 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions on Wednesday, October 28. Last year, 165 countries supported the measure, while seven voted against it and 12 abstained. The latest result shows a clear change in international support, with Germany, Italy and Latvia among the Western countries that abstained.
The resolution is not legally binding, meaning it cannot force Washington to end the embargo. Only the US Congress can lift the restrictions, which have been in place for more than six decades.
US and Cuba exchange sharp words at the UN
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz welcomed the change in voting patterns, saying Washington's diplomatic efforts had influenced more countries.
"I'm satisfied that so many countries now, including major economies like Korea, like Germany, and others have shifted their position," Waltz told reporters after the vote.
{{/usCountry}}"I'm satisfied that so many countries now, including major economies like Korea, like Germany, and others have shifted their position," Waltz told reporters after the vote.
{{/usCountry}}Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticised the US policy before the vote, arguing that it was hurting ordinary people on the island.
“A great power is attacking through economic war a member state of this organization,” Rodríguez said. “Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat.”
Tensions between the two countries also spilled into the General Assembly on Tuesday, when Waltz and Rodríguez clashed during a debate on the embargo. The confrontation included shouting, with UN personnel intervening.
On Wednesday, Waltz accused a Cuban diplomat of assaulting an American diplomat during the exchange and said Richard Tur de la Concepcion, a first secretary at Cuba's UN mission, would be expelled from the United States. Cuba, meanwhile, lodged a complaint with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the American diplomat involved.
Also Read: US and Cuban officials engage in a shouting match during a UN debate over the economic embargo
Cuba faces fuel shortages and power cuts
The vote comes as Cuba struggles with a deepening economic and energy crisis. The country has faced fuel, food and water shortages, alongside power cuts that have disrupted basic services, including water supplies and communications.
US President Donald Trump's administration increased pressure on Havana in January by threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. The move has sharply reduced fuel imports and added to the island's difficulties.
Washington says its sanctions are intended to pressure Cuba's communist government to change its policies. The Cuban government has rejected US accusations and blamed the restrictions for worsening living conditions.
The embargo was first imposed in 1960, after Fidel Castro's revolution overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista and the new government nationalised property belonging to US citizens and companies.
Despite the latest UN vote, the restrictions remain in place. The decline in support for the resolution, however, gives Washington a stronger diplomatic argument as it continues its campaign against Havana.
(With inputs from AP & Reuters)