The United Nations General Assembly has adopted its annual resolution calling for an end to the United States’ economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. The measure passed on October 28 with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, according to the official record of the Assembly’s 81st session. The text, issued as draft resolution A/81/L.5, is nonbinding and does not alter United States law.
The result preserved the large international majority that has backed the call for decades, but it also showed a notable shift from the previous year. In 2025, the resolution received 165 votes in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions. This year’s lower support and higher number of opposing and abstaining states therefore became the central diplomatic signal from the vote.
A broad majority, but a changing vote
The General Assembly has approved a resolution opposing the embargo every year since 1992, except in 2020 when the vote was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest adoption marked the 34th consecutive annual condemnation. The United States and Israel were among the countries voting against the measure. Germany and Italy were among the countries that abstained, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
The resolution reflects the position of most UN member states that the embargo should be lifted. However, General Assembly resolutions of this type are expressions of international political opinion rather than legally enforceable orders. The authority to remove the embargo rests with the US Congress, so the UN vote does not itself change sanctions, trade rules or financial restrictions affecting Cuba.
Competing arguments in the Assembly
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez told the Assembly that the embargo has imposed severe economic and humanitarian costs, contributing to shortages and restricting Cuba’s access to financing and trade. Havana has long described the policy as the principal external obstacle to its economic development.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz rejected that account. He argued that the Cuban government’s own economic and political policies are responsible for the country’s difficulties and said the shift in the voting pattern showed growing skepticism toward Havana’s position. The disagreement reflected the established divide between Cuba’s claim that US restrictions drive hardship and Washington’s contention that domestic governance is the decisive factor.
What the resolution changes — and what it does not
The embargo dates to the early 1960s and has been modified by successive US administrations, but its main statutory framework remains in place. Because Congress controls repeal, the immediate practical effect of the UN resolution is limited. There is no automatic removal of sanctions and no new timetable for bilateral negotiations.
Its significance is instead diplomatic. The annual vote gives governments a public way to register their position on a long-running dispute between Washington and Havana. The 130–17 result still demonstrates broad opposition to the embargo, while the decline from 165 supporting votes a year earlier shows that Cuba secured a smaller coalition this time.
Both facts are necessary to understand the outcome. The resolution passed comfortably, but the margin and composition of support changed substantially. The vote therefore renewed the UN’s long-standing political call while exposing a more divided international landscape than in the previous annual debate.
