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Ukraine announced the closure of its embassy in Havana after voting against the Cuban regime in the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where a resolution was approved calling for an end to the United States' economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba.
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha, reported this Wednesday that his Ministry has decided to lower the level of diplomatic relations and close the diplomatic mission on the Island.
"We remember the Cuban president's wish for 'success' to Putin in his aggressive war against Ukraine. We heard it clearly. This year, we decided to close our embassy in Havana and reduce the level of our diplomatic relations," the official wrote on X.
The publication was dedicated to Ukraine's vote at the United Nations, a move that reflects Cuba's support for the aggression from Moscow.
Sybiha emphasized that his government's position is not sudden and is based on solid foundations.
He recalled that thousands of Cubans have signed contracts to join the Russian troops directly involved in hostilities on Ukrainian territory.
"Our vote is not directed against the Cuban people; we respect their right to live in prosperity. It is aimed at the inaction of the Cuban authorities in response to the mass recruitment of Cuban citizens by the Russian occupying army," he clarified.
"The refusal of Havana to stop the massive deployment of its citizens in the Russian war against Ukraine constitutes complicity in aggression and must be condemned in the strongest terms. Ukraine will always oppose this practice and defend the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter," the minister emphasized on Telegram, according to UNN.
Last July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Chancellor presented a new strategic plan to reorganize Ukraine's diplomatic network, and one of the most significant announcements was the reduction of his country's diplomatic presence in Cuba.
The portal Mezha details that the United States estimates that between 1,000 and 5,000 Cubans have joined the Russian forces attacking Ukraine.
Historic decline in support for Cuba at the UN due to the U.S. embargo
The United Nations General Assembly approved on Tuesday, with 165 votes in favor, seven against, and 12 abstentions, the resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo of the United States against Cuba.
Ukraine was one of the seven countries that chose to uphold the U.S. embargo.
Although Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla hailed the outcome as a "victory for the people," the data reflects a drastic decline in international support for the Cuban regime: it is the lowest backing in over 10 years.
In 2024, the text was approved by 187 votes in favor, just two against (the United States and Israel), and one abstention.
This year, the number of supportive countries decreased by more than twenty, while abstentions and negative votes significantly increased, marking an unprecedented fracture in the traditional automatic majority that Havana used to secure in these kinds of debates.
This diplomatic shift reflects the impact of the recent scandals that have affected the Cuban regime, such as the involvement of Cubans in the war in Ukraine as mercenaries, international accusations of structural corruption, and the hoarding of foreign currency by the military conglomerate GAESA, which controls over 18 billion dollars in assets.
Diplomatic sources consulted by international media warned that Cuba is facing a growing moral and political isolation.
The shift in stance of countries like Argentina and Paraguay—historically aligned with the Latin American vote in favor of Havana—reflects a fatigue with the narrative of the embargo as the sole cause of the Cuban crisis.
In addition, Eastern European nations affected by the war in Ukraine have hardened their stance towards regimes that sympathize with Moscow.
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