The Trump administration intends to vote this week against a United Nations resolution condemning the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, reversing an Obama administration position amid a period of heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley will cast a “no” vote Wednesday against the non-binding resolution, which is taken up in the U.N. general assembly every year as an international expression of disapproval of the decades-long embargo. Last year, under Obama, the U.S. abstained from the vote as a part of the administration’s tentative rapprochement policy between Cold War adversaries.
The reversal reflects a more hawkish approach to Cuba by the Trump administration, which was critical of warming relations with the Castro regime even before recent revelations that two dozen U.S. diplomatic personnel were subjected to unexplained “sonic attacks” in Havana.
“The Trump administration policy gives greater emphasis to advancing human rights and democracy in Cuba, while maintaining engagement that advances U.S. interests,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, according to the Associated Press.