The Russian government said Thursday that there is no reason for any country, including the United Statesbe worried about the presence of Russian warships in Cuba.
When asked about the supposed nervousness in Washington over the fear that Russia could transfer military personnel to Cuba or even create a military base on the islandthe Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskovsaid that such exercises constitute common practice.
“This is normal practice for all states, including a maritime power as large as Russia. So we do not see any cause for concern in this case”answered the Russian spokesperson in statements collected by the agency Reuters.
The White House national security advisor, Jake Sullivansaid for his part that There is no evidence that Russia will transfer missiles to Cuba, but he clarified that the United States will remain alert.
The modern frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the Kazan nuclear-powered submarinehalf submerged and with its crew on deck, arrived in Cuba this Wednesday morning after do a training of “high-precision missile weapons” in the Atlantic Ocean.
They arrived accompanied by fleet oil tanker Pashin and salvage tug Nikolai Chiker (SB-131)of the naval group of the Northern Fleet.
Previously, the United States government employed several warships and an underwater reconnaissance plane to track the course of the Russian flotilla.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) of Cuba announced last week the arrival to Havana, on an “official visit” from June 12 to 17 of several ships of the Russian Navyincluding a nuclear-powered submarine.
The official note indicated that the visit is in line with “the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation,” and that “it strictly adheres to the international regulations to which Cuba is a State party.”
The MINREX specified that None of the ships are carrying nuclear weapons and that their stopover in the country does not represent a threat to the region.
Cuban-American senator Marco Rubio, for his part, asked President Joe Biden not to sit idly byand recalled that there has not been a Russian submarine with nuclear-capable missiles operating in the Caribbean for more than 30 years.
