HAVANA — Three Russian warships arrived in Cuban waters on Saturday, Moscow’s second such sea voyage in as many months, reflecting deepening ties between Russia and Cuba.
The naval group, made up of a training ship, a patrol frigate and a refueling tanker, is expected to remain docked in the Cuban port of Havana until August 30. The ships’ arrival comes just weeks after another squadron of Russian warships, including a powerful nuclear warship. powered submarine, visited Havana as part of planned military exercises last month.
U.S. officials closely followed the mid-June military exercises, saying that the group of four vessels posed no real threat. At the time, experts described the warships’ tour of the Caribbean as a symbolic show of force in response to continued US and Western support for Ukraine.
Cuban defense officials announced the latest port call earlier this week, calling the arrival of the Russian warships a “historical practice” and a display of “friendship and collaboration.” But neither government gave more details about the purpose of this latest deployment.
The docking of the flotilla has sparked a wave of excitement among the general public, with Cubans strolling along the port avenue to get a better look at the warships on Saturday and authorities saying interested visitors would be admitted aboard the vessel. Russian school, called Smolny, on Sunday and Monday.
“It’s a friendly thing. A link between Russia and the Cubans,” said Maydelis Pérez, a 29-year-old spectator, pointing out the huge warships to her three children. “I’m going on a family outing.”
Russia is a long-standing ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and planes have periodically made forays into the Caribbean and docked in Havana. Although Cuba is not a key player in Russian foreign policy, experts say Russia considers Cuba strategically important given its continued influence among developing nations.
Cuba and Russia, both under severe US sanctions, have strengthened their political and economic ties in recent years, particularly as Moscow seeks to increase diplomatic support for Cuba. his war in ukraine and Havana is looking for all the economic help it can get.
Cuba has systematically abstained from UN resolutions on the invasion of Ukraine and has avoided criticizing Moscow’s war. Russia has sold significant volumes of oil to Cuba, which has struggled under Washington’s economic embargo.
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