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Archived breaking story from October 28, 2026. This link will not change. Browse the archive.

Breaking

UN General Assembly Again Calls for End to US Embargo on Cuba, With Weakest Backing in Two Decades

The resolution passed 130 to 17 with 25 abstentions, down from 165 to seven last year. The US and Israel voted no; Germany and Italy abstained, Al Jazeera reports.

By The Veil Press

What happened

For a 34th year, UN member states meeting in the General Assembly on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, urged Washington to drop its embargo on Cuba [1]. The tally was 130 for and 17 against, while 25 abstained; last year the count had been 165 to seven, with 12 abstaining [1]. Support has not been this thin in two decades, according to UN News [1]. Al Jazeera reports that Israel joined the US in voting no, and that Germany and Italy, past supporters, abstained this time [3].

How it affects Americans

The vote is a verdict on Washington's own sanctions policy toward Cuba [1]. The Cuban text singles out the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, a US law whose reach extends to foreign firms and people, and asks countries with comparable laws to scrap them [1]. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador, disputed the whole basis of the debate [1]. "There is no blockade," he said, pointing to more than $876 million in US exports to the island in the first eight months of 2026 [1]. UN News adds that a US fuel embargo has deepened an energy crisis on the island [1].

The Veil Press view

Washington is claiming credit for the smaller majority: Al Jazeera reports that US officials see the jump in abstentions as proof their campaign against Havana is working [3]. "Diplomacy takes time," Waltz told reporters [3]. Havana's officials say the US warned governments of tariffs, visa curbs and other costs if they backed the text, Al Jazeera reports [3]. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla told the Assembly "Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is" [1].

What we know

Confirmed

  • The tally: 130 yes, 17 no, 25 abstaining [1].
  • Last year's tally was 165 to seven, with 12 abstaining [1].
  • The resolution names the 1996 Helms-Burton Act [1].
  • Rodríguez Parrilla interrupted Waltz on a point of order during Tuesday's debate, UNifeed reports [2].

Still being reported

  • Germany and Italy abstained after previously voting in favour, Al Jazeera reports [3].
  • Cuban officials' claim that the US threatened countries with penalties [3].

Sources

  1. Primary Backing for UN call to end Cuba embargo falls to 20-year low (UN News, 2026-10-28)
  2. Primary UN / Cuba United States Embargo (UNifeed, 2026-10-28)
  3. Reported UN votes to condemn embargo of Cuba despite US lobbying push (Al Jazeera, 2026-10-28)

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