Overview
- The U.N. General Assembly voted on Wednesday to condemn the decades-old U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, with the final tally showing 130 countries in favor, 25 abstaining, and 17 against.
- A sustained U.S. lobbying push produced an unusually large number of abstentions and oppositions from several Western allies, signaling a change from last year’s much wider margin of support.
- President Trump’s policy of imposing tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba has reduced fuel deliveries and contributed to wide power outages that have disrupted water, cooking, phone and internet services on the island.
- Diplomatic tensions spilled into public confrontations at the U.N., including a shouting exchange between U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, and Mr. Trump again raised the possibility of U.S. naval movements near Cuba.
- The General Assembly resolution is nonbinding but carries political weight because only the U.S. Congress can lift the embargo, so changes in voting patterns could affect Washington’s diplomatic standing and the island’s humanitarian outlook.