The United States downplays the deployment, which comes amid rising tensions over Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian frigate Almirante Gorshkov and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, accompanied by a tugboat and a fuel ship, arrived in Cuba for a five-day visit seen as a show of force by Moscow amid growing tension over its invasion of Ukraine.
Onlookers, fishermen and police gathered along Havana's boardwalk to welcome the fleet as it entered the city's port on Wednesday.
Cuba, a long-time ally of Russia, greeted the ships' arrival with a 21-gun salute, as Russian diplomats waved small Russian flags and took selfies against the backdrop of the port's historic fortresses.
The four Russian ships conducted training on “high-precision missile weapons” in the Atlantic Ocean while en route to Cuba. The submarine and frigate are equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Onyx anti-ship missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The unusual deployment of the Russian navy so close to the United States comes after Washington and some of Ukraine's other Western allies allowed Kiev to use its weapons against targets inside Russia amid a renewed Russian attack in northeastern Kharkiv. and shortages of combat troops and ammunition.
Havana is just 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Key West, in the southern state of Florida, where the United States has a naval air station.
“The warships are a reminder to Washington that it is unpleasant when an adversary meddles in the near abroad,” Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center think tank, told the Associated Press news agency. headquarters in Washington, DC. referring to Western involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine.
“It also reminds Russia's friends in the region, including US antagonists Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow is on their side,” he said.
Cuba said last week that the visit was standard practice for naval vessels from countries friendly to Havana and that the fleet did not carry nuclear weapons.
The United States, which has been monitoring the ships, has also downplayed the deployment.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Wednesday that such naval exercises were routine.
“We've seen this kind of thing before and we hope to see it again, and I'm not going to read into any particular reason,” Sullivan said.
He added that there was no evidence that Russia transferred missiles to Cuba, but that the United States would remain vigilant.
'Not October 1962'
The port stop coincided with a meeting in Moscow between Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
During the meeting, Rodríguez expressed his government's “rejection of the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.” [NATO] towards the Russian border,” which, he said, “led to the current conflict in Europe, and especially between Moscow and kyiv,” according to a statement from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also called for “a diplomatic, constructive and realistic solution” to the conflict.
During the Cold War, Cuba was an important ally of the then-Soviet Union, and when Moscow responded to a U.S. missile deployment in Turkey by sending ballistic missiles to Cuba, the standoff brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba has maintained relations with Russia and the two countries have grown closer since a 2022 meeting between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For Havana, the relationship is driven primarily by economic necessity, as it faces shortages of everything from food and medicine to fuel. The United States has maintained an economic and trade embargo against Cuba since 1960.
“This is no longer October 1962,” Javier Farje, an expert on Latin American politics, told Al Jazeera. “This is a different time. “Cuba has become increasingly dependent on Russia due to the lack of economic development.”
In March, Russia delivered 90,000 metric tons of Russian oil to Cuba to help alleviate shortages and has promised to help Havana on projects ranging from sugar production to infrastructure, renewable energy and tourism.
The Russian ships are expected to remain in Havana until June 17. U.S. officials expect Russian ships to remain in the region throughout the summer and possibly also stop in Venezuela.
