The resolution, adopted on Wednesday, received 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions. This marked the weakest level of support for the measure since 1995, despite similar resolutions being passed almost every year since 1992.
This year’s resolution also highlighted the impact of restrictions on fuel supplies to Cuba imposed by the United States since January. Havana had accused Washington of putting diplomatic pressure on other countries to withdraw their support ahead of the vote.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel welcomed the outcome, saying the international community had once again spoken against the embargo despite what he described as pressure and blackmail from the United States.
In a post on X, Díaz Canel accused Washington of using coercive tactics to influence the vote, later describing its actions as “gangster like coercion.”
Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, also criticised the US government during proceedings in New York, accusing Washington of attempting to determine Cuba’s future and seize its wealth.
However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz rejected the claim that Cuba was under a blockade. Speaking before the vote, he argued that the country’s economic difficulties were the result of its own government’s policies.
“The plight of the Cuban people is exclusively the fault of this corrupt communist regime,” Waltz said.
He also pointed to the continued arrival of international shipments in Cuba, arguing that the country’s ports remained open and that there was no US naval blockade surrounding the island.
The vote followed a heated confrontation between the American and Cuban delegations at the General Assembly on Tuesday. During the exchange, Rodríguez approached Waltz and shouted, “You are a liar!” while the American diplomat called on him to move back.
The tense scene forced the session’s chair to briefly suspend proceedings and direct both representatives to return to their places.
Earlier in his speech opposing the resolution, Waltz displayed photographs of Cuban leaders, including Díaz Canel, wearing what he described as luxury watches. The presentation drew protests from the Cuban delegation, whose members repeatedly struck their desks and interrupted his remarks.
Waltz also showed satellite images and discussed what he claimed were luxury properties, boats and holidays enjoyed by members of the Castro family and senior Cuban officials.
He questioned the government’s ability to provide basic services, including fuel for ambulances and public buses, while alleging that members of the country’s political elite continued to enjoy expensive lifestyles.
Despite the sharp exchanges and the decline in support compared with previous years, the latest vote has renewed international attention on the long running dispute between Washington and Havana over the embargo and its impact on the Cuban economy.
