Russian navy vessels to arrive in Havana on June 12: Cuban MoFA
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The Cuban Foreign Ministry announced the set date for the Russian navy vessels' arrival to its capital, and Washington is watching closely.
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A couple looks out from a balcony past Cuba's national flag at a march marking the 140th anniversary of the execution of eight Cuban medical students by the Spanish colonial government during Cuba's Ten Years' War, in Havana, Cuba, on November 27, 2011. (AP)
A detachment of four Russian naval vessels, including the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear submarine, are set to arrive at the port of Havana on an official visit from June 12-17, the Cuban Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry said that "A naval detachment from the Russian Federation consisting of four vessels — the frigate GORSHKOV; the nuclear-powered submarine KAZAN; the PASHIN fleet sea tanker and the salvage tug NIKOLAI CHIKER — will pay an official visit to the port of Havana from June 12 to 17, 2024."
The visit comes on the grounds of historical relations between the two countries, and strictly complies with international regulations, the statement said, adding that "None of the vessels carries nuclear weapons. Therefore, their stop-over in our country does not represent any threat to the region."
Russian sailors are expected to pay a courtesy call on the Cuban Revolutionary Navy commander and Havana's governor, according to the statement.
US to closely watch Russian naval ships: White House
In response to the Cuban Foreign Ministry statement, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that the United States would closely monitor the Russian naval ships that are set to arrive next week, clarifying that it does not see the visit as a national security threat.
“We are gonna watch it closely, of course, like we do with all Russian naval exercises in the Caribbean. This isn't the first time they've done this. They've done it several years past almost every couple of years or so they do this. So, we'll watch it closely, but we're not anticipating any significant national security threat, as a result of these exercises,” Kirby said in an interview for CNN.
Russia may de-dollarize with Latino nations
This comes in light of a recent statement by the director of the Latin America Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Shchetinin, who relayed to Sputnik on Wednesday that de-dollarization is being discussed in trade between Russia and several Latin American countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, as well as several BRICS states.
On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Shchetinin said, "Here is the process of negotiations of business and banking structures ... to find the most acceptable and convenient forms of interaction to ensure trade and economic ties between our countries. One of them is national currencies, the introduction of Mir [payment] cards, the introduction of direct settlements".
The diplomat noted that types and forms can be different for the de-dollarization process, but cooperation will be prioritized.
