The United Nations General Assembly has voted for the 34th year to condemn the US economic embargo on Cuba, but support for the resolution fell sharply after the Trump administration pushed countries to change their positions.
The resolution is not legally binding, meaning it cannot force Washington to end the embargo. Only the US Congress can lift the restrictions, which have been in place for more than six decades. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz welcomed the change in voting patterns, saying Washington’s diplomatic efforts had influenced more countries. “Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat. Cuba, meanwhile, lodged a complaint with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the American diplomat involved. US President Donald Trump ‘s administration increased pressure on Havana in January by threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. The move has sharply reduced fuel imports and added to the island’s difficulties. The Cuban government has rejected US accusations and blamed the restrictions for worsening living conditions.
“A great power is attacking through economic war a member state of this organization,” Rodríguez said. Washington says its sanctions are intended to pressure Cuba’s communist government to change its policies.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticised the US policy before the vote, arguing that it was hurting ordinary people on the island. On Wednesday, Waltz accused a Cuban diplomat of assaulting an American diplomat during the exchange and said Richard Tur de la Concepcion, a first secretary at Cuba’s UN mission, would be expelled from the United States.
