UN backs call to end Cuba embargo as support falls by 35 votes

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. On Oct. 28, 2026, the measure received 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions—35 fewer votes in favor than in 2025.

The adopted text was draft resolution A/81/L.5. The vote was recorded at the Assembly’s Oct. 28 plenary meeting in New York.

One way to compare the two tallies is to calculate the share of all three recorded categories that supported the resolution. That share fell from about 89.7% in 2025 to 75.6% in 2026, a decline of 14.1 percentage points. The calculation includes abstentions and votes against, rather than comparing favorable votes alone.

The percentages describe the recorded vote, not public opinion. Nor does the 35-vote decline establish that exactly 35 governments switched from support to another position: the tallies show the totals in each year, not the reasons behind individual countries’ votes.

The resolution leaves U.S. policy unchanged i

Does the Assembly’s vote lift the embargo? No. The resolution is nonbinding: it expresses the Assembly’s call but does not change U.S. law or lift the embargo, which remains in place. Reuters reported that Congress has the authority to lift it. The vote itself therefore creates no immediate legal change for people or businesses affected by the policy.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz welcomed countries that changed their positions and argued against another resolution, which he characterized as a propaganda victory for Cuba’s government. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticized U.S. policy, saying the embargo harms Cubans and describing it as economic warfare. Their statements set out opposing arguments about the embargo; the recorded vote establishes the Assembly’s decision.