The United States has closely tracked a group of Russian warships headed for Havana as they got eerily close to the coast of Florida. The flotilla includes a nuclear-powered submarine, a frigate, a fuel ship, and a tugboat. Russian vessels dock at Havana on a relatively frequent basis, and US officials have stated that the warships pose “no direct threat” to the United States. Nonetheless, US Navy vessels have been deployed in a state of readiness. Air units are closely following Russian movements.
This little display occurs at a particularly tense moment in US-Russia diplomacy, coinciding with President Biden’s attendance at the 50th G7 summit in Apulia, Italy, on June 13-14. It is highly speculated that the United States will be signing a new security agreement with Ukraine, and urging other G7 members to do so. Is the Russian nuclear submarine meant to act as a threat in the midst of this agreement? One thing is certain: tensions between the United States and Russia continue to grow.
Sources:
Meyer, K. (2024, June 12). “No direct threat” as US tracks Russian warships in Cuba. NewsNation. https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/russian-warships-cuba-no-threat/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20been%20monitoring%20the,US%20bring%20back%20the%20draft%3F
Cano, R. G., Salomon, G., RODRIGUEZ, A., (2024, June 12). Russian warships reach Cuban waters ahead of military exercises in the Caribbean. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/russia-military-warships-caribbean-cuba-venezuela-446f60a04a9e0639381ddf5ee084d2c3
Michael Wilner and Nora Torres. (2024, June 12). Navy deploys warships as Russian fleet makes close pass to Florida. Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2024/06/11/navy-deploys-warships-russian-fleet-makes-close-pass-florida/
The United States Government. (2024, June 4). Statement from Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on president Biden’s travel to G7. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/06/04/statement-from-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-on-president-bidens-travel-to-g7/
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