The Russian government said on Thursday that there is no reason for any country, including the United States, to be concerned about the presence of Russian warships in Cuba.
When asked about the supposed nervousness in Washington for fear that Russia could transfer military personnel to Cuba or even establish a military base on the island, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such exercises are a common practice.
"This is a normal practice for all states, including a maritime power as large as Russia. So we see no reason for concern in this case," responded the Russian spokesperson in statements collected by the Reuters agency.
The White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, said that there is no evidence that Russia is going to transfer missiles to Cuba, but clarified that the United States will remain alert.
The modern frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, partially submerged with its crew on deck, arrived in Cuba on Wednesday morning after conducting training on "high-precision missile weapons" in the Atlantic Ocean.
They arrived accompanied by the Pashin fleet's oil tanker and the Nikolai Chiker (SB-131) salvage tugboat, from the naval group of the Northern Fleet.
Previously, the government of the United States employed several warships and a submarine reconnaissance aircraft to track the course of the Russian fleet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) of Cuba announced last week the arrival in Havana, on an "official visit" from June 12 to 17, of several ships from the Russian Navy, including a nuclear-powered submarine.
The official statement indicated that the visit is in line "with the historic friendship relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation," and that it "strictly complies with the international regulations of which Cuba is a State party."
The MINREX clarified that none of the ships are carrying nuclear weapons and that their stopover in the country does not pose a threat to the region.
The Cuban-American senator Marco Rubio, for his part, asked President Joe Biden not to sit idly by, and pointed out that there hasn't been a Russian submarine with nuclear-capable missiles operating in the Caribbean for over 30 years.
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