U.S. officials have downplayed the arrival of four Russian naval vessels in Cuba on Wednesday for military drills.
The vessels, including a nuclear-powered submarine and a frigate, are perceived as a show of force amid Moscow’s tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine. They are anchored at Havana Bay, approximately 90 miles (145 km) from Florida.
“We of course take it seriously, but these exercises don’t pose a threat to the United States,” the Pentagon stated.
Press secretary Sabrina Singh added that the Russian moves align with “routine naval visits that we’ve seen under different administrations.”
Russia’s defense ministry reported that the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine, both carriers of advanced weapons such as Zircon hypersonic missiles, had previously conducted missile drills in the Atlantic.
However, Cuba’s foreign ministry affirmed that none of the vessels are equipped with nuclear arms and their five-day visit does not pose a threat to the region.
U.S. officials are closely monitoring the visit, with the US Navy employing sea drones to shadow the Russian vessels as they approached Cuba, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
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