Cuba accuses US of stoking protests, summons envoy

HAVANA — Cuba's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the top US diplomat on the island to a meeting following protests on Sunday, accusing the US embassy in Havana of seeking to stoke a broader anti-government uprising and meddling in Cuba's internal affairs, which Washington has denied involvement.

Rallies in protest of blackouts and food shortages erupted in at least five locations across the island on Sunday, including Cuba's second-largest city Santiago, state-run media said.

The US government said on X late on Sunday that it was monitoring the protests and encouraged the Cuban government to "respect the human rights of the protesters and address the legitimate needs of the Cuban people".

Those comments prompted Cuba's Foreign Ministry to call charge d'affaires Benjamin Ziff to a meeting with deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, "who formally conveyed his firm rejection of the government's interventionist behavior and slanderous messages", a statement from the ministry said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said: "The United States is not behind these protests in Cuba and the accusation of that is absurd."

Cuba's Foreign Ministry on Monday repeated the government's longstanding accusation that a Cold Warera US embargo and other sanctions were seeking to impoverish Cubans and destabilize the country.

Cuba's state-run newscast early on Monday showed posts from social media — including some from US members of Congress — about the demonstrations, and accused US-based agitators of seeking to confuse the situation or stoke anger by suggesting government repression or protests were more widespread than was actually the case.

"Mediocre politicians and networked terrorists lined up from South Florida to heat up the streets of #Cuba with interventionist messages and calls for chaos. They were left wanting," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X.

The government said it expected blackouts to remain acute through the week, with electricity generation meeting only around two-thirds of demand.

China firmly supports the party and government of Cuba in improving people's lives and will continue to provide assistance for Cuba to overcome the current difficulties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday.

Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when answering a relevant query.

"I wish to point out that the longstanding blockade from the US against Cuba inflicted severe difficulties on Cuba's national development and people's life," Lin said, noting that China calls on the US to immediately lift its blockade and sanctions on Cuba and stop all attempts of intervention.

Agencies - Xinhua