Cuban officials said Thursday that four Russian ships, including a nuclear submarine, would arrive in Havana next week, citing “historically friendly relations” between the two countries and rising tensions over Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a news release that the ships were scheduled to call in Havana from June 12 to 17, and gave assurances that none of the vessels were carrying nuclear weapons and their presence “does not pose a threat to the region.”
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The announcement came a day after U.S. officials said the United States was tracking Russian warships and aircraft believed to be arriving in the Caribbean for military exercises that they said were part of a broader Russian counterattack against U.S. support for Ukraine.
FILE – The Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov arrives at the port of Havana, Cuba, June 24, 2019. Cuban authorities announced on June 6, 2024 that four Russian warships, including the Gorshkov, will arrive in Havana starting June 12. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
Officials said the Russian military presence was notable but not worrisome, but it comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled Moscow could take “asymmetric measures” elsewhere in the world after President Joe Biden authorized attacks on Russian soil using U.S.-supplied weapons to defend Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the four Russian ships were the frigate Gorshkov, the nuclear submarine Kazan, the fleet oil tanker Pashin and the salvage ship Nikolai Chiker.
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As the fleet arrives in Havana harbor, one of the ships will fire a volley of 21 guns as a national salute, which will be answered by artillery from the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Foreign Ministry said.
