UN backs Cuba, US pressure rises

What's happened

The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution condemning the US embargo on Cuba by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. The vote has taken place as the Trump administration is intensifying economic pressure, including an effective fuel blockade that has caused widespread blackouts and shortages in Cuba, and US officials have openly discussed military options and covert engagement with dissidents.

What's behind the headline?

What is driving the moment

• Washington has escalated pressure on Havana by cutting fuel access and by intense diplomatic lobbying at the UN. Those actions are producing crippling blackouts in Cuba and turning a long-standing political dispute into a humanitarian and geopolitical crisis.

Who is pushing and why

• The Trump administration is pushing allies to change longstanding support for the annual anti-embargo resolution while publicly and privately signalling a readiness to widen pressure on Cuba, including by threatening tariffs on third-party suppliers and discussing military options.

Immediate consequences

• Cuba is experiencing extended power outages that are disrupting hospitals, schools and basic services and increasing economic losses. The blockade of fuel supplies has reduced generating capacity and stranded exports and financial transactions, deepening shortages.

Strategic effects and likely next steps

• The US campaign will force some smaller or aid-dependent states to choose between economic ties with Washington and solidarity with Cuba; expect more abstentions or votes against the resolution from countries susceptible to US pressure. This will weaken the yearly UN rebuke but will not produce a binding change in US policy.
• Cuba will intensify its diplomatic appeals to regional blocs and the UN human-rights system and will highlight humanitarian impacts to rally allies. That will increase diplomatic friction and the risk of reciprocal measures.

Broader risks

• Public talk of military moves and open appeals to Cubans to work with US intelligence will escalate tensions and will increase the risk of incidents at sea or covert operations. That will raise regional instability and complicate cooperation on migration, crime and health.

Forecast

• Pressure from Washington will continue to tighten Cuba’s access to fuel and finance and will deepen blackouts over the coming months. The annual UN vote will still pass by a wide margin, but its symbolic force will be eroded where US lobbying succeeds. The standoff will shift from multilateral diplomacy to bilateral coercion and intensified contest over regional partners.

How we got here

The UN has voted annually since 1992 to call for an end to Washington’s embargo. The Trump administration has intensified lobbying at the UN this year, blocked fuel supplies and threatened penalties for countries that sell oil to Cuba, worsening an energy crisis that Cuban officials link to rising power cuts and economic losses.

Our analysis

The sources present a consistent narrative about rising US pressure and Cuba’s worsening energy crisis, but they emphasise different details and tones. The South China Morning Post cites a Cuban diplomat’s account and a government submission showing about 1,400 megawatts offline and US$8.08 billion in losses between March 2025 and February 2026, noting "hours without power... in schools, hospitals and businesses" (South China Morning Post). AP has focused on the UN vote’s history and on public clashes at the UN, reporting that the annual resolution "has been put before the U.N. General Assembly for the past 34 years" and that diplomats exchanged heated words — "This is America. Back up," U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told Cuban counterparts (AP News, 28 Oct). Al Jazeera and Arab News highlight the political escalation: Al Jazeera reports that "US President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have for months openly hinted at military intervention" and quotes Cuban officials condemning US actions (Al Jazeera, 24 Oct); Arab News reproduces Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio’s criticism of Senator Marco Rubio’s social-media appeal, quoting him: "There must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency" (Arab News, 24 Oct). Multiple outlets record Trump’s rally remark that US warships "will pass Cuba" and that "we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal" (The Times of Israel; AP; Arab News). Together the reports supply direct quotes from US and Cuban officials, UN voting results, and Cuban government figures on power shortfalls; they diverge mainly in framing — some foreground humanitarian costs and Cuban government claims, others foreground US diplomatic strategy and public confrontations at the UN.

Go deeper

• How will Cuba maintain hospital and water services if fuel imports remain blocked?
• Which countries did the US target with lobbying to change their UN vote?
• What legal or diplomatic steps will regional organisations take in response?

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