HAVANA, June  12, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A Russian nuclear-powered submarine and
other naval vessels arrived in Cuba Wednesday for a five-day visit to the
communist island off Florida's coast in a show of force amid spiraling
US-Russian tensions.

The submarine Kazan, which Cuba says is not carrying nuclear weapons, was
accompanied by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, as well as an oil tanker and a
salvage tug.
Russia's defense ministry said in a statement that prior to entering the
Havana port, the fleet "completed an exercise on the use of high-precision
missile weapons."

The unusual deployment of the Russian military so close to the United
States -- particularly the powerful submarine -- comes amid major tensions over
the war in Ukraine, where the Western-backed government is fighting a Russian
invasion.

It also coincided on Wednesday with a meeting in Moscow between Cuba's
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as
the two former Cold War allies further tighten their links.

During the meeting, Rodriguez 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 Cuban foreign ministry statement.

He also called for "a diplomatic, constructive and realistic solution" to
the crisis.

The Kazan and Admiral Gorshkov, which is one of Russia's most modern
warships, could be seen just off Havana, which is about 90 miles (145 km) from
the tip of Florida.

The tanker Pashin and the tug, flying the white, blue and red tricolor of
Russia, entered the harbor early Wednesday morning, an AFP reporter said.

"In the coming days, the crews of the ships and support vessels will take
part in a number of protocol events," Russia's defense ministry said in a
statement published by the Interfax news agency.

- 'Historic relations' -

Cuba's military said the visit by the naval detachment "strictly complies
with international regulations" and is a nod to "the historic relations of
friendship" between Havana and Moscow.

A spokesperson for the United States Southern Command said in a statement:
"We are not surprised by this given Russia's long history of Cuban port calls.

While our force posture has not changed, we remain staunchly focused on our
national defense mission."

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel met with Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin last month for the annual May 9 military parade on Red Square outside the
Kremlin.

He wished Russia "success" in its Ukraine offensive and condemned "the
geopolitical manipulation" of the United States, in comments reported by
Russia's TASS news agency.

During the Cold War, Cuba was an important client state for the Soviet
Union. The deployment of Soviet nuclear missile sites on the island triggered
the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when Washington and Moscow came close to war.

Relations between Russia and Cuba have become closer since a 2022 meeting
between Diaz-Canel and Putin.