December 15, 2008

Everything old is new again

"Russian warships bound for Cuba in new show of strength"

A group of Russian warships will from December 19-23 visit the Communist island of Cuba, a long-time adversary of the United States and Moscow's ally in the Cold War, the Russian navy said on Monday.

"This will be the first visit to Cuba by Russian warships since the Soviet era," the Russian naval headquarters said in a statement.

The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two other ships will visit Havana in what the navy described as a "significant practical step towards strengthening and developing ties between the two states' navies."

Russian ships have been touring countries close to US waters in what is seen as a riposte to Washington's own moves in Russia's Soviet-era sphere of influence, including US naval deployments in the Black Sea.

Last month President Dmitry Medvedev visited Cuba on a four-country Latin American tour intended to revive what he called "privileged relations" that existed between Moscow and several Latin American states in the Cold War.

The Russian moves in Central and Latin America follow heightened tensions over this summer's Russian military onslaught in Georgia, a close US ally in the Caucasus.

The navy also announced the completion of a visit to Nicaragua, during which it delivered aid to the Central American country led by leftist President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega is due to visit Moscow this week.

"The Russian naval command believes visits by Russian ships to Venezuela, Panama and Nicaragua signify long-term prospects for developing cooperation among these countries' naval forces in the interest of developing stability and trust on the world's oceans," the navy said.

During the Cuba visit, residents will be welcomed aboard the Russian ships and Russian officers will lay flowers at a memorial to Cuban campaigner for independence and critic of US expansionism Jose Marti, the navy said.

Posted by George Moneo at December 15, 2008 08:23 AM

Comments

Ortega, raul, & simian abnormality Chavez may be Russia's new proxy Triumviarate in the hemisphere. Russia's been sliding back to its old red ways and lately it's picked up speed like a bullet train. I'm wondering, though, whether Putin would sink any money to prop up raul like the USSR did all those decades way back. raul is a terribly bad, hopeless investment, save for geographical proximity to the US.

God help us, with what we'll have to work with in the WH next 4 yrs.... I see Putin coming in and out of the WH gate with BO like Arafat used to do with Clinton.

Posted by: Gigi [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 15, 2008 12:55 PM

Or, with Obama as president, perhaps the new OAS will be Venezuela, Cuba and us. Oy.

Posted by: honey [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 15, 2008 04:23 PM


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