Overview
- The General Assembly passed the resolution 165–7 with 12 abstentions, down from 187–2 with one abstention last year.
- Opposition included the U.S., Israel, Argentina, Hungary, North Macedonia, Paraguay and Ukraine after a Washington lobbying push that featured an accusation that up to 5,000 Cubans are fighting in Ukraine, which Havana rejects.
- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the U.S. pressured states to vote no, while U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the resolution political theater and urged members to stop appeasing the regime.
- The vote coincided with Hurricane Melissa striking Cuba and with a U.S. anti-drug military buildup in South American waters that has strained regional ties and prompted speculation about aims toward Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
- The resolution is nonbinding but signals world opinion, and Cuba highlights deep economic strain, including a claimed $7.5 billion in losses from U.S. sanctions between March 2024 and February 2025.