A fleet of Russian watercraft is set to arrive in Cuba this week ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean. A total of three warships (a frigate, a fleet oil tanker, and a salvage tug) and one nuclear-powered submarine will dock in the island nation's capital on Wednesday June 12, and depart again on Monday June 17.
Cuba has maintained that the ships will not be carrying nuclear weapons, thus there is no need for the United States or allied nations to be concerned. Nonetheless, the presence of Russian vessels in such close proximity to American waters has put some on edge.
"This visit corresponds to the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation," Cuban officials said in a statement, per Reuters. None of the ships carry nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region."
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told CBS News' Ed O'Keefe that the Biden administration has "no indication and no expectation that nuclear weapons will be at play," but noted that "clearly this is them signaling their displeasure about what we're doing for Ukraine, so we're going to watch it."
"We don't expect that there'll be any imminent threat or any threat at all, quite frankly, to American national security in the region, in the Caribbean region, or anywhere else," he added.
According to CBS News, the four vessels made the journey across the Atlantic separately, and are being shadowed by those owned by the United States. Two American destroyers and two ships carrying sonar equipment have been stationed behind the submarine, while a second destroyer and a US Coast Guard cutter are tailing the three warships.
The Russians are expected to carry out both naval and air training in the area over the coming weeks, marking the first time they have done so in that part of the world since 2019.
Cuba has maintained that the ships will not be carrying nuclear weapons, thus there is no need for the United States or allied nations to be concerned. Nonetheless, the presence of Russian vessels in such close proximity to American waters has put some on edge.
"This visit corresponds to the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation," Cuban officials said in a statement, per Reuters. None of the ships carry nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region."
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told CBS News' Ed O'Keefe that the Biden administration has "no indication and no expectation that nuclear weapons will be at play," but noted that "clearly this is them signaling their displeasure about what we're doing for Ukraine, so we're going to watch it."
"We don't expect that there'll be any imminent threat or any threat at all, quite frankly, to American national security in the region, in the Caribbean region, or anywhere else," he added.
According to CBS News, the four vessels made the journey across the Atlantic separately, and are being shadowed by those owned by the United States. Two American destroyers and two ships carrying sonar equipment have been stationed behind the submarine, while a second destroyer and a US Coast Guard cutter are tailing the three warships.
The Russians are expected to carry out both naval and air training in the area over the coming weeks, marking the first time they have done so in that part of the world since 2019.
