US submarine arrives in Cuba after Russia sends warships

The United States Southern Command, the North American force responsible for supervising the country’s military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, confirmed this Thursday (June 13, 2024) that the nuclear-powered submarine USS Helena is in Cuba.

The US submarine arrives 1 day after a warship and a Russian submarine we will contribute on the Caribbean island. Earlier, the Russian ship Admiral Gorshkov and the Russian nuclear submarine Kazan also arrived in Havana.

Southern Command described the current operation as a “routine port visit”. According to the North American force, the procedure is part of a “mission of global maritime security and national defense”.

The USS Helena arrived at Guantánamo Bay, where a United States naval base is located. The Americans have managed the site since 1903, when then-president Theodore Roosevelt signed, together with the Cuban president of the time, Tomás Estrada Palma, the agreement that granted the space to the USA.

COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CUBA

On Wednesday (June 12), a warship and a Russian submarine arrived in Cuba. The event was attended by Russian diplomats in Havana and the US government.

According to the Russian navy, these are practices involving the use of high-precision missile weapons. “Computer simulation against naval targets, indicating naval groups of a false enemy and located at a distance of more than 600 kilometers”he said in a statement.

The vessels that arrived in Havana have nuclear capabilities, but are not carrying weapons. Russia classifies the ships’ departure as a visit in favor of friendship between the two countries.

The countries are known for extensive international cooperation. These are nations that face embargoes from the United States and part of the West. At the time of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), they were part of the main socialist exponents.

Even after the end of the USSR, diplomacy between countries remained strong. In February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even defended Cuban collaboration in the BRICS.