Published Wednesday, 28 October, 12:20 p.m. ET (12:20 p.m. Havana) · Source: UN General Assembly records, UN News, US and Cuban governments
The world’s largest diplomatic hall voted again on Wednesday to tell Washington to lift its embargo on Cuba, and fewer countries agreed than last year. The UN General Assembly (UNGA), where all 193 member states have one vote, backed the Cuban-drafted resolution by 130 to 17, with 25 abstentions.It was the 34th time since 1992 that the Assembly has voted on the Cuba and US tensions text, which is not legally binding.
Last year the same resolution won 165 votes, with 7 against and 12 abstentions, according to UN News, the UN’s own news service.
Key Facts
- What happened: The UN General Assembly backed ending the US embargo on Cuba, 130 to 17, with 25 abstentions.
- The numbers: Support fell from 165 votes in 2025, when 7 countries voted no and 12 abstained.
- What happens next: Nothing changes by law, because only the US Congress can end the core embargo rules.
- Why it matters for US readers: Washington stands with a small group of countries on a policy that its own allies keep questioning.
- Prediction markets: Polymarket gave 12% to a US-Cuba economic deal by 31 December (US$446,935 traded; 12:09 p.m. ET, 28 October).
This story is part of our coverage of the cuba news. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
In plain English
The US has restricted trade with Cuba for decades, and Cuba calls this a “blockade”. Every year Cuba asks the UN to condemn it, and the vote is a public test of who stands where, not a law.
A Lower Tally for Cuba
The vote took place at UN headquarters in New York on 28 October. The UN has not published an exact time.
The 130 votes in favour are 35 fewer than in 2025. Support peaked at 191 votes in the years 2015 to 2017, UN News recalls, and the first vote in 1992 drew 59.
The UN has not said why the total fell. That makes any single explanation guesswork, so we offer none.
Why the Debate Turned Heated
The vote followed a tense debate on Tuesday. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, told the Assembly: “There is no blockade.”
He said US exports to Cuba topped US$876 million in 2026 so far.Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, interrupted him, and the Assembly’s president briefly suspended the session.
Rodríguez held up a screen that put the embargo’s cost at US$22.9 million during the debate alone, according to UN News in Spanish. That is a Cuban government figure that we have not verified independently.
What the Resolution Can and Cannot Do
The text criticises the reach of US law beyond US borders. It also points to the Helms-Burton Act, the 1996 US law that wrote much of the embargo into statute.
The Assembly cannot order anything. Only the US Congress can rewrite that law, which is why the same vote has passed 34 times without ending the embargo.
For more on the wider dispute, see our Cuba news hub and our earlier report on the US push to vote the text down.
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 at about 12%. About US$446,935 has been traded on that market, as of 12:09 p.m. ET on 28 October.
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
The vote costs Washington nothing in law, but it shows that the embargo still isolates the US diplomatically. Whether the smaller majority reflects US pressure on other governments or a shift in opinion is not clear.
Travel, remittance and trade rules for Americans do not change because of this vote. Watch Congress and the US Treasury’s sanctions office, not New York, for any real change.
What Is Not Known
We could not confirm which countries voted no or abstained. The time of the vote and the reason for the lower support are also unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the UN vote end the US embargo on Cuba?
No. The resolution is not binding, and only the US Congress can change the core embargo law.
How many countries backed Cuba this year?
130 countries voted yes, 17 no, and 25 abstained. In 2025 the count was 165, 7 and 12.
Sources: UN News (Spanish), UN News (English), US State Department, Cuban foreign ministry, Polymarket.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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