Cuba loses support at UN, with one of its diplomats expelled
The General Assembly once again approved the resolution against the U.S. embargo, but support for Havana fell from 165 to 130 countries. The session was preceded by a confrontation between the Cuban and U.S. delegations that ended with the expulsion of a regime official.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla at the U.N.
The Cuban regime suffered a major diplomatic setback at the United Nations on Wednesday after 35 countries withdrew their support for its annual resolution against the U.S. embargo, compared to the 2025 vote.
Although the General Assembly approved the document once again, the result was 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, compared to 165 in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions the previous year, according to Diario de Cuba and The Associated Press.
The result represents a significant decline in international support for Havana's position.
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Which countries changed their stance?
Among the 17 countries that voted against the resolution were the United States, Israel, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Hungary and Ukraine, among others.
Also noteworthy were the abstentions by Chile and Peru, as well as those of several European countries, including Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands, according to the tally published by Diario de Cuba.
The vote took place after an intense diplomatic campaign by the Trump administration to reduce support for the Cuban resolution. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had previously accused Washington of pressuring and threatening other governments to change their votes, according to Reuters.
United States orders expulsion of Cuban diplomat following altercation
The setback for Havana came just a few hours after Washington announced the expulsion of Richard Tur de la Concepción, first secretary of the Cuban mission to the United Nations, who was accused of attempting to assault a member of the U.S. delegation.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz announced during an interview on the show "Hannity" that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the documents ordering his expulsion from the country.
Waltz assured that the diplomat would be on a plane bound for Havana within the next 24 hours and warned that the Trump administration would not tolerate attacks against its representatives.
According to ADN Cuba, the incident occurred when Tur tried to snatch the phone from J. P. Freire, Waltz's spokesperson, who was recording the protests by the Cuban delegation during Tuesday's session. The confrontation was captured on video and shared on social media.
The altercation occurred while Waltz was speaking from the podium, questioning the privileges of the Cuban ruling elite and the island's political and economic situation. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez responded by interrupting him and accused the U.S. representative of lying, in a confrontation that forced the president of the General Assembly to intervene, according to The Associated Press.
A non-binding resolution
Wednesday's result shows that the resolution continues to enjoy majority support, but it also reveals a significant shift in the positions of several governments, at a time of intense diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana.
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