UN General Assembly calls for end to US embargo on Cuba

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly called for an end to the decades-long US economic embargo on Cuba, marking the 34th time that the assembly has adopted a resolution opposing the embargo.

The resolution received 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, a sharp shift from last year, when 165 countries voted in favor, seven against and 12 abstained.

China voted in favor of the resolution.

During Tuesday's debate, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, called on the US to immediately end its economic embargo and sanctions against Cuba, saying the measures have lasted 64 years and violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Fu also called on the international community to uphold sovereign equality, oppose unilateral sanctions and external interference, and support Cuba's sovereignty and development rights.

Several Western countries, including Germany and Italy, abstained from the vote. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Lithuania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Paraguay and Slovenia were among those that voted against the resolution.

The vote came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. Ahead of the vote, US officials stepped up lobbying efforts to persuade more countries to oppose the annual resolution or abstain, according to media reports.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz also urged other countries' ambassadors to consider Cuba's "human rights record" before casting their votes.

The vote also came days after President Donald Trump again raised the possibility of US military intervention in Cuba. Speaking at a rally in South Florida on Friday, Trump suggested that US warships returning from the war with Iran could stop near Cuba, while also saying an agreement with Havana could still be possible.

The General Assembly resolution is nonbinding and carries primarily political weight. Only the US Congress has the authority to fully lift the embargo, which was first imposed in 1960.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla criticized Washington following the vote.

"The US government is once again isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people and subjecting them to an act of collective punishment and genocide," Rodriguez said in a post on X.

Tensions between the two countries had already spilled onto the floor of the General Assembly on Tuesday during the annual debate over the embargo.

As Waltz delivered remarks sharply criticizing the Cuban government, members of the Cuban delegation shouted objections, and Rodriguez approached the front of the General Assembly Hall. The president of the assembly repeatedly called for order and briefly suspended the meeting.

The confrontation also led to a dispute involving another Cuban diplomat.

Waltz said in an interview with Fox News that a member of the Cuban delegation had "shoved and tried to assault" a member of the US delegation who was recording the confrontation. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed paperwork to expel the Cuban diplomat from the United States.

The allegation has not been independently established. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at Wednesday's noon briefing that he did not have "firsthand information" about the case.

Although UN headquarters in New York enjoys special status under the UN-US Headquarters Agreement, diplomats attending UN meetings must enter US territory, giving Washington an important role in issuing visas and determining entry into the country. The agreement requires the US, as host country, to facilitate access for representatives traveling to the UN.

In September, the US denied visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. The assembly later adopted a resolution allowing Abbas to address the session by video.