The U.S. submarine USS Helena has arrived in Cuba as part of a scheduled visit and is now in Guantanamo Bay in the southeastern part of the country - U.S. Southern Command.
However, the Associated Press agency says the U.S. Navy submarine arrived "as a show of force" in response to Russian actions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the day before that four Northern Fleet ships, including the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, had made an "unofficial visit" to the port of Havana in northwestern Cuba.
According to the ministry's statement, they had been practicing in the Atlantic "the use of high-precision missile weapons."
Cuban authorities, commenting on the situation, noted that none of the Russian ships have nuclear weapons and their visit does not pose a threat to the region.
During their arrival at the port of Havana, the Russian sailors will fire 21 salvos "as a greeting to the nation," which will be answered by an artillery battery of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces from the fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña.
The guests will then meet with the commander of the Cuban navy and the governor of Havana, and visit "places of historical and cultural interest," the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces Ministry said in a press release.
"The visit is in line with the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and is conducted in strict compliance with international norms," the ministry emphasized.
The Russian ships are expected to stay in the port of Havana from June 12 to June 17, and then they may sail to the coast of Venezuela.
Cuba is about 150 kilometers from the coast of the U.S. Florida. Thus, the Zircon carriers will appear for the first time just a few seconds of flight time from the United States. However, Washington did not see a direct threat in these actions of Moscow.
