CUBA · POLITICS

Russia’s parliament is about to join the fight over Cuba at the United Nations, two weeks after support for Havana in the UN General Assembly, the body of all 193 member states, fell to its lowest level in more than 30 years. The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, is due to consider on Wednesday, 11 November 2026 an appeal asking the UN General Assembly to press for an end to the US embargo on Cuba.

The Duma has not voted yet, and the appeal is a political signal, because the embargo is a US measure that no Duma text can lift. Our Cuba news hub tracks the wider dispute.

Russia’s lower house wants to keep Cuba on the UN agenda, but its appeal is a political signal, not a legal lever.

What the Duma Appeal Says

The International Affairs Committee, chaired by Leonid Slutsky, presented the draft, and the Duma Council put it on the agenda for the 11 November plenary. The draft asks the UN General Assembly to press for an end to the US embargo and is also addressed to the parliaments of other countries.

The draft calls the US sanctions an “unacceptable instrument of foreign-policy pressure”, in a translation of the Russian text. It says they violate international law and limit Cubans’ access to food, medicine and health services.

It also says fuel imports to Cuba have almost stopped since US measures were tightened in August 2026, and that hospitals lack electricity. These are the draft’s own claims, which we cannot confirm independently.

The draft also voices readiness for cooperation with, and support for, the Cuban people. The Duma adopted a similar appeal on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.

People queue outside a shop on Obispo Street in Old Havana, pictured in May 2014. Photo: Bryan Ledgard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

A Weaker Vote at the United Nations

The General Assembly adopted its annual resolution against the embargo on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. It was the 34th year in a row that the Assembly passed the text, and support was the lowest in more than three decades.

In 2025 the vote was 165 to 7, with 12 abstentions, so opposition rose from 7 to 17 and abstentions roughly doubled. Reports on the 2026 vote said a US lobbying campaign led some governments to vote against or stay away.

Washington says its measures are an embargo, not a blockade, a line its UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, repeated in October, as our report on his UN remarks explains. The Duma appeal comes after that vote and adds a Russian parliamentary voice to the debate.

Sanctions Keep Coming

On Thursday, 5 November 2026, the United States announced new sanctions on Cuba-linked individuals, companies and ships. Our report on the listings explains how the listings hit Cuba’s oil and shipping trade.

What It Means for You

For a reader in the United States, the story shows a split screen: ten more countries voted against the Cuba resolution than in 2025, while Russia keeps pressing against the embargo from its parliament. Cuba lies 90 miles from Florida, so the dispute stays close to home.

Readers weighing where Cuba policy goes next can see our five paths for Cuba after the US midterms. The next test is the Duma session on Wednesday.

What Is Not Known

Whether the Duma adopts the appeal on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and by what margin, is not known. It is also not known whether other parliaments will follow the Duma’s lead.

The draft’s claims about fuel and hospital power cuts are not independently confirmed here. How the Duma text will be received at the UN is also open.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the State Duma?

The State Duma is the lower house of Russia’s parliament. Its International Affairs Committee, chaired by Leonid Slutsky, presented this appeal.

Can the Duma end the embargo?

No, because the embargo is a US measure that a Duma appeal cannot lift. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding either.

When is the Duma vote?

The State Duma is due to consider the appeal on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The result and the margin are not yet known.

How did the UN vote on Cuba this year?

On Wednesday, 28 October 2026 the General Assembly adopted its yearly resolution by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. That was the lowest support in more than 30 years, after 165 votes to 7 in 2025.

Sources: State Duma of the Russian Federation (duma.gov.ru); UN General Assembly records (un.org); US sanctions announcements of 5 November 2026 (treasury.gov, state.gov).