As Cuban authorities noted, “the visit is related to the historical friendly relations between Cuba and Russia and strictly complies with international standards.” Neither ship carries nuclear weapons. This is an extremely important point. The fact is that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean signed an agreement in the late 1960s to create a nuclear weapons-free zone in the region (Treaty of Tlatelolco). And the appearance of foreign ships with nuclear weapons on board can be considered a violation of this agreement. The Russian side took this into account.
In the port of Havana, the Russian Navy ships were received with an orchestra and an artillery salvo. Two solemn ceremonies were organized, separately for the frigate with escort ships and separately for the underwater cruiser. His arrival aroused great interest among Cubans. On June 12, as TASS reports, numerous spectators gathered on the embankment, and in the following days, Cubans formed huge queues to board the Admiral Gorshkov. Neither the heat nor the rain could dampen his excitement. “In Cuba we are used to hearing epic stories about Russian sailors, but I will never forget the opportunity to see these ships up close, touch them with my hands and see the sailors,” said one of the lucky ones who managed to inspect the Frigate shared with RIA Novosti. .
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also visited Admiral Gorshkov. The event took place in a format closed to the press, but the head of state shared his impressions on social networks. “We looked inside the frigate “Almirante Gorshkov” and the deck of the submarine “Kazan”, ships of the Russian Navy that are in the port of Havana on an official visit. A wonderful and pleasant day, even under the incessant rain. Welcome friends of Russia,” said Díaz-Canel.
Russian sailors also had an interesting program. They paid courtesy visits to the command of the Cuban Navy and the governor of Havana, paid tribute to the leader of the Cuban liberation movement José Martí and the Memorial to the Soviet Internationalist Soldiers, and visited several museums.
And on Monday, June 17, they will go hiking again. It is assumed that they will be able to visit Venezuela.
It is worth paying attention to the reaction of the United States to the actions of the Russian Navy. According to the Pentagon, the Russian Navy’s exercises in the Atlantic Ocean do not pose a threat to the United States. And yet, the United States sent several of its ships to monitor the Northern Fleet detachment. Moreover, the observation group turned out to be even larger than the Russian one. The United States assigned two destroyers and two ships with sonar equipment only to monitor the Kazan submarine, and one destroyer and one US Coast Guard ship to monitor Admiral Gorshkov and escort the ships. In addition, in the context of the visit of a group of Russian Navy ships to Cuba, the United States sent the USS Helena submarine to Guantanamo Bay. Washington claims this was planned in advance. However, even Western media saw a connection with the entry of Russian ships into Havana port. As the Associated Press noted, the U.S. submarine arrived “as a show of force.”
It is noteworthy that its appearance in Cuban territorial waters occurred without the consent of the authorities of Liberty Island. “We knew of their presence, since the United States informed us in advance, but it is obvious that we do not like the presence in our territory and the movement through our waters of this type of equipment belonging to a country that has an official policy. hostile to Cuba,” said the deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Carlos Fernández de Cossio Domínguez.
However, Canadians also showed their interest. The Royal Canadian Navy patrol vessel Margaret Brooke entered Havana harbor while Russian ships were there. She moored in the distance. Formally, this occurred on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of continuous diplomatic relations between Cuba and Canada and the 50th anniversary of their cooperation. However, Ottawa did not hide that they were monitoring the movements and actions of Russian ships off the coast of Cuba. As ABC News notes, French frigates located in the Atlantic are doing the same.
According to The New York Times, although the exercises were routine, they became a symbolic demonstration of Russian strength. The Washington Post noted that Admiral Gorshkov and Kazan “are capable of launching Zircon hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Onyx anti-ship missiles, Russia’s most touted modern weapons.” As experts interviewed by American media point out, the presence of Russian ships in the Caribbean “causes discomfort to the United States, but does not violate the international laws of the Russian Federation.” The exercises serve as a reminder of Russia’s power.
