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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged public grievances over blackouts and food and medicine shortages during a televised address Monday, but he blamed the island nation's problems on the long-standing U.S. embargo and accused American \"imperialists\" of stoking tensions on social media.

\"Yesterday, Cuba lived the most heroic day. Thousands of patriotic people defend the Revolution,\" he said on state television, referring to pro-government demonstrations in Havana later on Sunday that numbered around 300, according to the Associated Press.

\"We do not want to hurt our beloved people,\" added Díaz-Canel, who assumed the presidency in 2019 and became the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party this April, officially taking over for Raúl Castro.

\"PHOTO:
Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters
PHOTO: Police detain a person during protests against and in support of the government, amidst the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Havana, Cuba, July 11, 2021.
>

Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla had even sharper words Monday, firing back at Sullivan and Chung's statements of support for protests by saying the White House has \"no political or moral authority to speak about Cuba.\"

\"His government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to promote subversion in our country & implements a genocidal blockade, which is the main cause of economic scarcities,\" he tweeted, referring directly to Sullivan's statement.

Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, with its economy contracting by double-digits last year. But along with the economic crisis, the country is dealing with another deadly surge of COVID-19.

ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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