Russian warships headed to Cuba, sail into the Carribean amid heightened tensions

WASHINGTON — Russian warships arrived in Cuba Wednesday for the first time in four years as the Pentagon monitors their movement near the U.S. coast, Defense officials said.

The Pentagon does not consider the ships, conducting military exercises in the Caribbean, to be a threat, Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

But the port visits of the ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, comes amid heightened tensions between Russia, the United States and its western allies over the continuing war in Ukraine. The Pentagon supplies Ukraine with advanced arms and in recent weeks has allowed some of those weapons to be fired at targets inside Russia.

More: Russia opens new front in Ukraine war. Is Ukraine losing the war with Russia?

In a statement, U.S. Northern Command downplayed the presence of Russian ships. The Russian deployment was described as routine naval activity, and Northern Command ships and warplanes conducted patrols to ensure the defense of U.S. and Canada, the statement said.

The Russian ships in the Caribbean had a port call in Cuba and may visit Venezuela, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Russian naval ships sailed in the Caribbean annually from 2013 to 2020, the official said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russian warships in Cuba, entering Caribbean amid heightened tensions