Dwindling support: On the U.S. and the Cuban embargo

Nearly every year since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the U.S. to end its decades-old economic embargo on Cuba. As a result, the outcome at the UNGA resolution titled the ‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’ passed on October 30, was expected.

Surprisingly, the support for the resolution this year was dramatically lower than previous years. For the preceding decade, more than 180 countries of the 193-member UNGA had expressed their support for ending the embargo, but the numbers dropped to 165 in favour in 2025; this year’s tally dropped sharply lower, with 130 in favour, 25 abstaining and 17 countries voting against the resolution.

The trend clearly points to efforts by the Trump administration to use its pressure on countries to change their votes, and many appear to have succumbed to those threats. Among those were several Latin American countries, that have more recently grown closer to the U.S., particularly after the operation in Venezuela in January 2026, where U.S.

marines abducted President Maduro and brought him to the U.S. for a trial. Countries in the region such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia that have downgraded ties with Havana, switched votes on the resolution.

In addition, U.S. diplomats argued that Havana-Moscow ties emboldened Russia’s war in Ukraine, which led to several western countries switching their vote. Diplomats from Ukraine and Poland, for example, referred to Cuba’s ties with Russia while explaining their vote, and Germany and Italy switched for the first time in many years to abstaining on the resolution.

While it is clear that the bulk of the Group of 77 and non-aligned states including India maintained their support on the resolution for Cuba, the vote by the others demonstrates a disquieting turn. Amidst these turns, New Delhi must be credited for standing firm on the issue, opposing the embargo, and calling for “dialogue and diplomacy” in its statement.

The vote came a month after the BRICS New Delhi declaration expressed “deep concern” over the tightening of unilateral blockade measures on Cuba, and the “worrying humanitarian impact” on the Cuban people. It is important that India continue to stand up to such unilateral measures and amplify the voice of smaller countries, particularly those in the Global South.