Cuba Embargo Vote Hits 1995 Low

CUBA · UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations General Assembly voted 130 to 17, with 25 abstentions, on Wednesday 28 October 2026 to call on the United States to end its economic embargo on Cuba, the fewest yes votes since 1995. The vote is not legally binding, and Washington had urged governments to vote no.

The Cuban-drafted text, draft resolution A/81/L.5, passed in New York after a debate on Tuesday 27 October. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, told the Assembly there is no blockade, while Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, called the US measures collective punishment.

The result is a gauge of US diplomatic reach: 35 fewer yes votes than a year ago, 10 more no votes and 13 more abstentions. It follows the US push to vote the text down and the first report of the result, and adds what governments told the Assembly, with background in US-Cuba tensions.

What Happened at the UN

The Assembly took up agenda item 37 on Wednesday morning and held a recorded vote after the last speakers. The presiding officer announced 130 in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions, and declared the draft adopted.

The resolution calls for ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo and was the 34th such vote since 1992. It asks Washington to lift the measures but orders nothing, as Assembly resolutions are recommendations.

How the Vote Compares With Earlier Years

A year ago, on Wednesday 29 October 2025, the text won 165 yes votes, with 7 against and 12 abstentions. UN press records show 117 yes votes in 1995 and 137 in 1996, so 130 is the lowest since 1995.

Of the 193 member states, 21 did not vote on 28 October, against 9 in 2025. Net of any switches, the 35 lost yes votes equal 10 more no votes, 13 more abstentions and 12 more non-voters.

What Washington and Havana Told the Assembly

Waltz told delegates their vote was the only thing standing between what he called a corrupt communist regime and another propaganda victory, repeating his earlier denial of a blockade. He said US companies exported US$876 million of goods to Cuba in the first eight months of 2026, including a quarter billion dollars of fuel, and that President Donald Trump has committed another US$100 million in food aid.

Rodríguez Parrilla replied that Cuba is not a threat and the blockade is, and accused the US delegation of harassing and filming Cuban diplomats. Waltz said a Cuban diplomat he accused of assaulting an American colleague would be put on a plane to Havana.

What Governments Said When They Voted

The European Union, speaking through Ireland, said it opposes the extraterritorial reach of US sanctions and that EU law forbids its members from applying the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the US law that put the embargo into statute. It also said Cuban authorities’ decisions have significantly contributed to the crisis.

Chile and Peru told the Assembly they abstained, both citing human rights in Cuba, and Qatar also said it abstained. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Panama and Vietnam said they voted yes, with Australia and New Zealand adding that this is not an endorsement of Cuba’s government.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, a platform where users bet real money on events, traders put the chance of a US-Cuba economic deal by 31 December 2026 at 11.5%, with about US$35,000 traded on that contract as of 1:48 p.m. ET on 28 October 2026. It pays only if the United States and Cuba reach a publicly announced mutual deal on trade, sanctions or the embargo, so it does not measure the UN vote.

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 You

The vote changes no US travel, trade or remittance rule, because the resolution is a recommendation and US law sets the embargo. Under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the president’s power to suspend the embargo is tied to a transition government taking power in Cuba, so a vote in New York cannot lift it.

For US companies the practical point is that the EU told the Assembly its law forbids its members from applying Helms-Burton, so European firms face different rules on Cuba. Background on the island is on the Cuba hub page.

What Is Not Known

The UN had not published the country-by-country record of the 28 October vote by the afternoon of that day, so which governments switched cannot be confirmed. Chile, Peru and Qatar said they abstained, and none of them was among the 7 governments that voted no or the 12 that abstained in 2025.

The UN has not said why support fell. Washington says it has committed US$100 million in food aid, which Cuba’s foreign minister called misleading, and how much has reached Cubans is not known.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the UN vote on the Cuba embargo?

The General Assembly adopted the resolution on 28 October 2026 by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. It was the 34th vote on such a text since 1992.

Does the UN vote end the US embargo on Cuba?

No, the resolution is a recommendation with no legal force. Under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the president may suspend the embargo once a transition government is in power in Cuba.

Why did fewer countries back Cuba this year?

The UN has not given a reason. The tally shows 35 fewer yes votes than in 2025, with 10 more votes against, 13 more abstentions and 12 more members not voting.

What did the US say about the vote?

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, urged governments to vote no and said there is no blockade, citing US$876 million of US exports to Cuba in eight months. He also said a Cuban diplomat would be sent home.

Sources: UN General Assembly, 28th plenary meeting, 81st session, 28 October 2026; UN meeting coverage GA/12800, 27 October 2026; UN Digital Library, General Assembly resolution 80/4, 29 October 2025; UN meeting coverage GA/12723, 29 October 2025; UN press release, 2 November 1995; UN press release, 12 November 1996; UN press release, 5 November 1997; UN press release, 14 October 1998; UN General Assembly functions and powers; US Mission to the UN, explanation of vote, 28 October 2026; Cuban Foreign Ministry, 27 October 2026; US Code, title 22, section 6032; US Code, title 22, section 6064; Polymarket public market data, 1:48 p.m. ET on 28 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief