Related videos:
Ukraine defended its vote against the UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba and clarified that the decision, along with the closure of its embassy in Havana, “is not against the Cuban people.”
In a statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that this is a response to the “inaction” of the authorities on the Island regarding the mass recruitment of Cuban citizens for the Russian army.
Sybiha explained that the negative vote “is not sudden and has weighty reasons”: "We recall the Cuban president's wish for “success” to Putin in his aggressive war against Ukraine. We listened to him attentively."
The pronouncement came after a vote that showed a historic decline in international support for Havana: 165 votes in favor, 7 against and 12 abstentions for resolution A/80/L.6.
The Ukrainian official emphasized that the position of Kiev is based on the fact that Havana has not stopped the sending of its nationals to the war front.
"Thousands of them have signed contracts, joining the ranks of soldiers who are directly involved in combat operations on Ukrainian territory," he noted.
In this context, Sybiha added that the Cuban government's refusal to stop the deployment of its citizens “constitutes complicity in the aggression” and must be “condemned in the strongest terms”.
It was also confirmed that this year Kiev decided to “close the embassy in Havana and reduce the level of our diplomatic relations,” as part of the response to the regime's stance.
“Our vote is not against the Cuban people; we respect their right to live in prosperity,” the foreign minister emphasized.
The diplomatic explanation from Kiev coincided with a striking shift in the General Assembly: the resolution that calls for an end to the embargo each year —traditionally passed by an overwhelming majority— received the lowest support in over a decade.
Compared to 2024, when there were 187 votes in favor, 2 against, and 1 abstention, this year's result marks a break from the "automatic majority" that Havana used to achieve, with a notable increase in abstentions and negative votes.
From Cuba, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez celebrated the outcome as a "victory for the peoples," but the data reveals a loss of support.
For Ukraine, beyond the discussion about sanctions, the core of the disagreement is the war: Kiev “will always oppose” practices that bolster the Russian war effort and asserts the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter as the guiding framework for its foreign policy.
Filed under: