Latin America: Cuba
Published Thursday, October 29, 8:20 a.m. ET (9:20 a.m. Buenos Aires) · Source: UN News, Argentine government statements
Argentina has picked a side at the United Nations, and for the second year running it is that of the United States government. On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the UN General Assembly urged the United States to end its embargo on Cuba by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions, and Argentina was among the 17 who said no.
The vote is the latest turn in the wider Cuba US tensions story. It also shows how far President Javier Milei, a libertarian who has made friendship with the Trump administration a pillar of his foreign policy, has moved Argentina from its old position.
Key Facts
- Result. The UN General Assembly passed the Cuba embargo resolution 130 to 17, with 25 abstentions, on October 28.
- Argentina. Buenos Aires voted no for the second year running, with the United States, Israel, Paraguay, Colombia and Ecuador.
- Trend. Yes votes fell from 187 in 2024 and 165 in 2025.
- Next. The vote is not binding. Only Washington can end the embargo.
This story is part of our coverage of the cuba news. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
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In plain English
Every autumn the UN General Assembly, where each of the 193 member countries has one vote, asks the United States to lift its trade embargo on Cuba. The resolution has no legal force, so it works as a yearly poll of world opinion about Washington’s policy.
Argentina Sides With Washington Again
Argentina voted no alongside the United States, Israel, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Ten other countries also opposed the text.
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno explained the vote in a statement. “There is no freedom without democracy, nor economic development without respect for private property,” he said.
Quirno added that Cuba’s government cannot keep hiding behind sovereignty to justify what he called the oppression of its people. Argentina, he said, stands with Cubans who want a free country.
How Argentina Changed Sides in Two Years
In October 2024, Argentina’s then foreign minister, Diana Mondino, voted yes, as Argentina had for three decades. Milei dismissed her at once, and Gerardo Werthein took over as foreign minister.
A year later, in 2025, Argentina voted no for the first time. The post has since passed to Quirno, and this week’s vote shows the line has not moved.
Support for the Resolution Keeps Shrinking
The yes vote has dropped sharply: 187 in 2024, 165 in 2025 and 130 this year. In 2025 only seven countries voted no and twelve abstained, so both the no votes and the abstentions have more than doubled.
Germany and Italy were among the 25 abstentions. Even so, 130 of the 147 countries that took a side backed the resolution, so the embargo remains widely unpopular abroad.
Our earlier report on the 130 to 17 vote covers the full tally.
What Prediction Markets Say
Prediction markets
Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, priced a US–Cuba economic deal by December 31, 2026 at 11.5%, with about US$35,000 traded on that contract and about US$447,000 across all its deadlines (checked October 29, 8:18 a.m. ET). Prices are bets, not polls or forecasts.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for US Readers
Argentina is now one of the few governments in Latin America that votes with the United States on Cuba. For Washington, that is a diplomatic dividend of its close ties with Buenos Aires.
The embargo itself does not change. Only US law and the White House can end it, and the 130 to 17 vote leaves that decision where it was.
For the bigger picture, see our Cuba news hub.
What Is Not Known
The exact time of the vote in New York is not in the sources we could check. We found no personal comment from Milei on this year’s vote.
We also cannot say whether talks with Washington shaped Argentina’s choice, or why each country that changed position since 2025 did so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Argentina vote against the UN Cuba embargo resolution?
Yes. Argentina voted no on October 28, 2026, for the second year in a row, after voting yes in 2024. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno defended the decision.
Does the UN vote end the US embargo on Cuba?
No. The resolution is not legally binding. Only the United States, through its laws and its government, can lift the embargo.
Sources: UN News, Polymarket.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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