In brief
Russia has pledged to continue supporting Cuba in its bid to end the U.S. economic embargo after the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution calling for its removal. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the embargo’s impact on Cuban survival and warned of a potential regional migration crisis. The UN resolution passed with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, marking a 34th consecutive endorsement of the request to lift the embargo.
Moscow, Oct. 29, 2026 – The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement affirming that Russia will keep backing Cuba in its efforts to have the United States lift its economic, commercial and financial embargo on the Caribbean nation. The declaration came after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging the U.S. to end the embargo, a move that the ministry welcomed as a vindication of international condemnation of the policy.
According to the Ministry’s statement, the General Assembly voted 130 in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions on the resolution. The vote marked the 34th successive time the UN has called for the embargo’s end, an fact noted by the African News outlet reporting on the decision.
The Russian foreign ministry called the embargo “illegal and inhumane,” arguing that the intensified economic and military pressure this year, coupled with an energy blockade, has pushed “ordinary Cubans to the brink of survival.” It warned that a socioeconomic collapse in Cuba could trigger a mass exodus to neighboring countries, creating a “major regional migration crisis.”
In praising the Cuban government, the ministry said that Havana has “continued to pursue an independent foreign policy despite massive U.S. pressure.” It highlighted the resilience of the Cuban people in defending the country’s sovereignty and independence, and stated that Moscow’s position on the issue would remain unchanged.
The statement comes as Russia signs new economic agreements with Cuba, strengthening ties between the two governments amid the shifting geopolitics of the Western Hemisphere. Moscow has repeatedly expressed willingness to work with the international community toward a swift, complete and unconditional lifting of the embargo, according to the ministry’s remarks.
The United Nations General Assembly’s resolution, adopted in New York on a Wednesday, was welcomed by several member states. A separate article from "The Common Sense" noted that the resolution was passed with 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions, echoing the figures released by the Russian ministry. The article called the vote a decisive step toward ending decades of U.S. economic and political pressure on Cuba.
Observers noted that the UN's endorsement is part of an ongoing trend of increased international pressure on the United States to revise its policy toward Cuba. The resolution’s backing by 130 countries signals growing consensus on the embargo’s economic and humanitarian costs.
In the days following the UN vote, Cuban officials reportedly expressed hope for a future where the island’s citizens could enjoy “better lives,” a sentiment that aligns with the Philippine of the embassy statement from Central America that underscored the importance of lifting the embargo to improve livelihoods on the island.
The Kremlin’s pledge’s timing coincided with a broader narrative in which Russia seeks to position itself as a strategic partner to countries facing U.S. sanctions. The ministry’s emphasis on
