A Communist Country ‘Defeats’ the US at the UN
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday (28 October 2026, local time) once again adopted a resolution calling for the United States to end its embargo on Cuba. Although most countries continued to support lifting the sanctions, the number of votes in favour fell to its lowest level in three decades.
Similar resolutions have been submitted and approved in votes almost every year since 1992. However, support for this year’s resolution was much lower than in previous years.
The resolution calling for an end to the economic, trade and financial embargo against Cuba received 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions. The number of votes in favour was the lowest since 1995.
The vote took place as Washington stepped up pressure on Havana through a range of measures, including an oil blockade and broad sanctions that have increasingly battered Cuba’s economy.
Cuba accuses the US of coercion
In recent weeks, the Cuban government has accused the US of exerting diplomatic pressure on a number of countries to withdraw their support for the resolution.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel welcomed the result in a post on X on Wednesday. He said the majority of countries around the world remained opposed to the embargo despite Washington’s efforts to influence the vote.
“The world has once again overwhelmingly voiced its rejection of the blockade, even amid the most blatant pressure and blackmail by the US to change the outcome of this vote,” Díaz-Canel wrote.
In a subsequent post, he accused the US of using “gangster-style coercion”.
Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, speaking in New York, accused Washington of trying to determine his country’s future while taking control of Cuba’s wealth.
Ahead of the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz denied that his country was imposing a blockade on Cuba. Instead, he blamed the communist government in Havana for the hardships faced by the population.
“The suffering of the Cuban people is entirely the fault of this corrupt communist regime,” Waltz said, according to AFP.
He also claimed there was no US naval blockade around Cuba and that the country’s ports remained operational.
“The fact is that right now, as we speak, there is no line of US Navy warships surrounding Cuba. Their ports are open. In recent months, data show that cargo has arrived from around the world,” he said.
Debate heats up in the General Assembly
The vote came a day after a heated exchange between US and Cuban representatives in the UN General Assembly chamber. Tensions peaked when Rodríguez approached Waltz and shouted, “You’re a liar!” Waltz responded by telling Rodríguez to move away.
The altercation briefly forced the presiding officer to suspend the meeting. Both delegations were then asked to return to their seats.
In his speech on Tuesday, Waltz argued against the resolution by displaying photographs of current and former Cuban leaders, including Díaz-Canel. He drew attention to the luxury watches worn by the figures.
The display prompted protests from the Cuban delegation, whose members repeatedly banged on their desks and interrupted Waltz’s speech.
Waltz then showed satellite images and described luxury properties, boats and holiday activities that he said were enjoyed by the Castro family and Cuban officials.
“The regime can never find enough fuel for Cuban ambulances. They can never provide enough fuel for Cuban buses. But when the Castro family and the elites sitting at that table want to go yachting, suddenly that is not a problem,” Waltz said.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday after the vote, Waltz described the previous day’s debate as heated.
“Yesterday’s debate got a little heated,” he said.