130 Nations Back Cuba as Trinidad Says No

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO · UN VOTE

Trinidad and Tobago, a gas producer, voted with the US against a UN call to end the Cuba embargo on 28 October. It was the only member of the regional bloc Caricom to vote no.

Trinidad and Tobago sided with the United States on Wednesday, 28 October, as the UN General Assembly voted on the Cuba embargo. It joined Washington and 15 other countries in voting no, while 130 countries voted yes.

Trinidad had never voted no before, so Washington gains a rare Caribbean vote. The full vote, with the US and Cuban speeches, is in our report on the UN vote.

What Trinidad and Tobago Did at the UN

Trinidad voted no on a text that calls on Washington to lift its economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. The General Assembly, where all 193 states have one vote, opened its debate on Tuesday, 27 October.

Trinidad was the only Caricom member to vote no, while Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti abstained. How the support fell from last year is covered in our report on the final tally.

A Break With Its Own Past

Trinidad abstained at the first vote in 1992 and voted yes in the years that followed, including in 2025. This year is the first time it has voted against.

That support held under governments of both main parties, including the 2010 to 2015 government that Persad-Bissessar led as prime minister. The change comes under her second term, which began in 2025.

What the Prime Minister Said

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, leader of the governing United National Congress, defended the vote on Wednesday. She said Trinidad and Tobago will not support a military dictatorship in Cuba.

She cited the view of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Cuba needs political reform. She added that Trinidad respects other countries’ right to set their own foreign policy and expects the same respect.

She also said there is “nothing romantic or idealistic about dictatorship masked as a revolutionary struggle for freedom”. We found no Cuban response to the Trinidad vote when this was written.

How the Opposition Responded

Keith Rowley, a former prime minister, called the vote “so shameful” in a Facebook post. Over the previous weekend he had joined other former Caribbean leaders in signing an open letter urging a yes vote.

Amery Browne, a former foreign minister from the People’s National Movement (PNM), now the main opposition party, called the vote “disgraceful”. He noted that no other Caricom state voted no.

These are the views of political opponents, not findings. The government’s own account is the Prime Minister’s statement of Wednesday.

Where Trinidad Stands in the Caribbean

Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti abstained, while several other Caribbean states backed the text as in earlier years. Trinidad stood alone in the bloc with Washington.

Background on the country is in guides to who holds power in Trinidad and Tobago and its geopolitics. More Caribbean news is on the Caribbean page.

The Cuba page tracks the embargo. The US push before the vote is reported separately.

What It Means for US Readers

The resolution is a recommendation, not a law, and US law sets the embargo, including the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. Nothing in the vote changes US travel, trade or sanctions rules for Cuba.

For Washington, it is a rare Caribbean vote on its side. For US investors in Trinidad’s energy sector, no trade or sanctions step was announced with the vote.

What Is Not Known

The government has not said whether the United States asked for the change. The foreign minister had not explained it when this was written.

We could not open the UN’s own country-by-country record when this was written. Trinidad’s no vote rests on the Prime Minister’s defence of it and on consistent accounts from Port of Spain.

Accounts of a procedural UN vote on Cuba in July, on which Trinidad abstained, give no date or detail. That vote is separate from the annual resolution Trinidad backed in 2025.

What Comes Next

The resolution returns to the Assembly in autumn 2027 if the pattern holds. The vote does not mean Trinidad has cut diplomatic ties with Cuba, and no such step has been announced.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Trinidad and Tobago vote on the Cuba embargo?

It voted no on Wednesday, 28 October, with the United States and 15 other countries. The text still passed with 130 votes in favour.

Why did Trinidad vote against the resolution?

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her government will not support a military dictatorship in Cuba. She also cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call for reform.

Does the UN vote end the US embargo on Cuba?

It does not. General Assembly resolutions are recommendations, and US law, including the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, sets the embargo.

Did Trinidad vote this way before?

No. It abstained in 1992 and voted yes in later years, including 2025, so this is its first no. It was not among the seven no votes last year.

Did other Caribbean countries follow?

Not among the Caricom members. Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti abstained, and Trinidad was the only Caricom state to vote no.

Sources: UN General Assembly, meetings coverage GA/12800, 27 October 2026; UN News, General Assembly vote on the Cuba embargo, 29 October 2025; Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago; Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, public statement of 28 October 2026 (all accessed 29 October 2026).