The UN General Assembly condemned US sanctions against Cuba for the thirty-second time.

For the 32nd time, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the United States to lift economic sanctions against Cuba. 187 countries supported the document, the USA and Israel opposed it, and Moldova abstained. Ukraine and several other countries did not participate in the vote.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez blamed US sanctions, including a ban on fuel exports to Cuba, for the recent large-scale blackout. Rodriguez said the country will defend its “right to build an independent, socialist future” and noted that the future US president will be able to decide whether to support Cuba’s development or continue “harsh blockade measures.”

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Paul Folmsbee said the sanctions are aimed at “promoting democracy and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba,” citing the thousands of political prisoners on the island. He also recalled that sanctions do not apply to food, medicine and other essential goods.

General Assembly resolutions are non-binding; the international community has been demanding the lifting of sanctions against Cuba since 1992. The United States began a supply embargo on Cuba in 1960 in response to the nationalization of American property on the island following the victory of Fidel Castro's socialist revolution. In 2016, the United States and Cuba officially restored relations – the first time the United States abstained from voting on a resolution to lift the embargo. However, Donald Trump, after becoming US President in 2017, criticized the human rights situation in Cuba, and the US again voted against the UN General Assembly resolution.

During the sanctions, hundreds of thousands of Cubans, dissatisfied with food shortages and inflation, emigrated.