The protests in Cuba over the weekend will have an impact on the United States’ ongoing review of its policy toward the island nation, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

“There’s no question that the protests over the weekend and the events in the last couple of days are significant events, the largest protests we’ve seen in Cuba in a long time, that will obviously have an impact on how we proceed”, Psaki said. “We will see how things develop in the days ahead and develop our policy responses accordingly. We don’t want to do it as a one off, we want to look at it with a comprehensive approach in mind”.

Psaki added that Washington wants Cuban authorities to promptly release the protesters detained over the recent days.

“We continue to call for the swift release of those peaceful protesters who have been unjustly detained”, Psaki said during a press briefing.
Thousands of Cubans took to the streets on Sunday demanding free elections and the resolution of social issues. According to local media, protests and gatherings took place in eight Cuban cities, including Havana. In response, government and Communist Party supporters held their own marches.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez warned earlier in the day that calls for humanitarian intervention in the country, which are appearing on social media, may pave the way to “a military intervention by the United States”.