Russian warships and aircraft entered the Caribbean today sea for military exercises, the purpose of which, according to some observers, is to demonstrate strength against the backdrop of growing tensions over Western support for Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, as quoted by BTA.
According to US military experts, the military exercises will involve several Russian warships and auxiliary vessels, which may also visit Venezuela.
Russia is a long-time ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and aircraft periodically visit the Caribbean Sea, AP points out. However, this mission comes less than two weeks after US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory, and Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that his armed forces could respond with "asymmetric steps" elsewhere in the world.
"First of all, the purpose of the warships is to remind Washington that it is not nice when an adversary intervenes in your near abroad," said Benjamin Gidden, director of the Latin America Program at the Washington-based think tank Wilson Center. ;. "It also reminds Russia's friends in the region, including US adversaries Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow is on their side," he added.
Although one of the warships is a nuclear-powered submarine, a senior US administration source told the AP that intelligence had concluded that none of them were armed with nuclear weapons. In his words, the Russian ships "do not pose a direct threat to the United States".
Last week, US officials said Russian ships were expected to remain in the region throughout the summer.