A US Navy submarine has arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a show of force as a fleet of Russian vessels prepares for military exercises in the Caribbean.
The USS Helena, a nuclear-powered quick attack submarine, entered the waters near the US base in Cuba on Thursday, just one day after a Russian frigate, a nuclear-powered submarine, an oil tanker, and a rescue tug crossed into Havana Bay following Atlantic Ocean drills.
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The stay is part of a “routine port visit” while the submarine moves through the Southern Command region, according to a social media post.
Other US ships have also been watching and monitoring the Russian drills, which Pentagon officials claim pose no threat to the US.
“This is not surprising. When asked about the Russian training, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, “We’ve seen them make similar port calls before.” “We, of course, take it seriously, but these exercises don’t pose a threat to the United States.”
The exercises, however, came less than two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to deploy US-supplied weaponry to attack inside Russia to safeguard Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Russian President Vladimir Putin then hinted that his military would retaliate with “asymmetrical steps” elsewhere in the world.
Singh stated that it would not be surprising to see more Russian participation in such global drills around the United States. The maneuvers take place in international seas, and US officials expect the Russian ships to stay in the region throughout the summer, possibly stopping in Venezuela.
Russia has occasionally sent warships and aircraft to the Caribbean as an ally of Venezuela and Cuba.
Russian ships have sporadically docked in Havana since 2008, when a flotilla of Russian vessels made their first visit to Cuban waters in nearly two decades, according to state media. In 2015, an unannounced reconnaissance and communications ship landed in Havana a day before the commencement of negotiations between US and Cuban authorities to reopen diplomatic relations.
