MOSCOW: Russia said Thursday that the US should not be nervous about Russian warships in Cuba but that the West appeared “deaf to any diplomatic signals” from Moscow and only took notice when the army or navy took action.
A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine churned into Havana harbour Wednesday, a stopover the US and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force.
US NSA Jake Sullivan said there was no evidence of Russia transferring any missiles to Cuba, but that the US would be vigilant. Asked about purported nervousness in Washington over the fear that Russia could transfer military personnel to Cuba or even create a military base on the island, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such exercises were common. “So we don’t see any reason to worry.” When asked what signal Moscow was sending, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said: “Why do only signals related only to our army and navy reach the West?”