The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has issued a strong rebuke of the United States’ embargo on Cuba, which Havana has demanded be lifted amid an economic crisis on the Caribbean island. An overwhelming 185 countries voted Thursday in favor of a non-binding resolution condemning the embargo, with the US and Israel voting against and Brazil and Ukraine abstaining. It was the 30th time the UN has voted to condemn the US policy, which has been in place for decades. “The United States opposes this resolution, but we stand with the Cuban people and will continue to look for ways to provide them with meaningful support,” US Political Coordinator John Kelly told the UNGA on Thursday. “If the United States government really cared about the welfare, human rights and self-determination of Cubans, it could lift the embargo,” responded Yuri Galla, Cuba’s deputy UN representative. The US imposed the embargo in 1960, following the Cuban revolution under Fidel Castro and the nationalization of assets owned by US citizens and companies. Two years later the measure – which bans trade between the two countries, among other restrictions – was strengthened. US President Barack Obama has taken significant steps to reduce tensions with Cuba during his time in office, including officially restoring US-Cuba relations and making a “historic” visit to Havana in 2016. That year, the US also abstained for the first time during a UN vote condemning the embargo. Former US President Donald Trump, however, scrapped those efforts and took a tougher approach, tightening sanctions and scaling back steps towards normalization. Current President Joe Biden’s administration has not substantially diverged from Trump’s policies, but has taken a handful of steps to ease restrictions on remittances and flights to Cuba. Tensions between Havana and Washington have also escalated over issues such as immigration, security and regional relations in recent months. Ahead of Thursday’s UN vote, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the Biden administration of continuing a course of “maximum pressure.” Rodriguez said that during Biden’s 14 months in office, the embargo cost the Cuban economy about $6.35 billion. US officials countered that the economic sanctions were a response to human rights abuses by the Cuban government, which cracked down on protests in July 2021 demanding political freedom and better economic conditions. Cuba has sanctioned nearly 400 people for participating in the protests, handing out many long prison terms. The crackdown has prompted condemnation from rights groups as well as new US sanctions. Havana has countered criticism of its human rights record. “Cuba doesn’t need lessons on democracy and human rights, much less the United States,” Gala said Thursday.