The Cuban government is accusing the United States of inciting recent protests in Cuba, where a growing economic crisis has resulted in power blackouts and food shortages. On Sunday, hundreds of people took to the streets of Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized U.S. policy in an interview with NBC News in Havana.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel: “They are always looking for justifications and turning things around. The most absurd thing is that they have applied a criminal blockade against us for more than 65 years. That is the absurdity. And the absurdity of that blockade is what has provoked all other reactions, which is reflected in the things that are happening.”