Why Several Latin American Countries Abstained at UN Vote on US Blockade Against Cuba

Orinoco Tribune

04 Nov 2026

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A silhouette of Donald Trump's profile against a backdrop of the Cuban flag. Photo: AI-generated image.

The collapse in support for the UN resolution against the U.S. blockade of Cuba reflects Washington's aggressive diplomatic pressure and blackmail on Latin American governments rather than any genuine change in regional sentiment.

Originally published in Orinoco Tribune.

Since the 1990s, the United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly against the US blockade on Cuba, with unanimous support from Latin America. Just two years into the second Trump administration, this situation has changed drastically.

In October 2024, the resolution received 187 votes in favor, one abstention (Moldova), and the usual two against from the US and Israel. Two years later, the results stand at 130 votes in favor, 25 abstentions, and 17 against.

The Latin American countries that voted against the resolution are Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Meanwhile, Chile, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Peru, and the Dominican Republic abstained. Additionally, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela did not participate in the voting.

In this way, several Latin American nations reversed their historical positions. Chile, for example, supported the initiative for 33 years, a position similar to the rest except for Argentina and Paraguay, which had already expressed their opposition in 2025.

As for Venezuela, it could not vote because it has not been able to pay its UN membership fees due to the US blockade. The unilateral and illegal coercive measures imposed on Venezuela since 2015 have excluded the country from the international financial system. As a result, it cannot pay its membership dues, and its right to vote has been suspended despite being a founding member of the United Nations.

What is behind this result?
As soon as the result was known, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz expressed satisfaction. “Today, almost three times as many countries voted against, abstained, or simply chose not to vote,” he summarized.

“There’s still a lot to be done,” stated Waltz, one of the visible faces of Washington’s diplomatic offensive to weaken the traditional support Latin America and the Caribbean had had for Havana’s resolution.

The week before, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had warned that the UN General Assembly vote would take place in “unusual circumstances.” He denounced a series of “pressure methods” and directly accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “pressuring and blackmailing” heads of state of the region to “change their vote against the blockade.”

The countries that voted against the resolution, as well as those that abstained, except Haiti, are part of the Shield of the Americas. The US-led coalition against organized crime is seemingly imposing Washington’s political decisions on its members.

“The considerable increase in votes against this resolution reflects a significant change in the international scenario,” said Pablo Quirno, Argentinian foreign minister under far-right president Javier Milei. “More and more countries in Latin America are joining a position that places freedom, democracy, and individual rights at the center of the regional agenda,” he declared.

Cuba

Blockade

Latin America

United Nations

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