Latest Videos
A United States official claims that Russia will be deploying air and sea assets to the Caribbean.
Knewz.com has learned that while the action poses “no direct threat,” it is believed to be in retaliation for President Joe Biden approving the use of American weapons on Russian soil.
In a statement to the Miami Herald, the official claimed that Washington anticipated Russia conducting “heightened naval and air activity near the United States,” and that its ships would make calls at Cuban and Venezuelan ports.
The US, however, is not concerned.
“We expect that, as is predictable, the Russians will amp up the information space with this, both to make a point and to unsettle us,” the unnamed official elaborated.
“We’re not particularly concerned. It’s something that they’ve done before. It’s messaging for the Russians.”
Said “messaging” comes after Biden permitted Ukraine to use U.S.-built weapons on Russian soil.
“This is about Russia showing they are still capable of some level of naval power projection,” the official explained. “We should expect more of this activity going forward.”
Leading up to the announcement, the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin made numerous threats, but the autocracy was notably quieter following Ukraine’s actual use of the weapons. Also, according to the Miami Herald, Moscow has not notified Biden of its plans to send military assets to the Caribbean.
To this, the unnamed official said: “Ships, of course, are observable, so they kind of don’t have to.”
The Biden administration alerted Congress to the development on Wednesday, June 6.
The US Navy is said to be “tracking Russia’s movements closely” and is willing to use “whatever the necessary posture is to track and [...] monitor”.
The White House is expecting Russia’s naval exercise to expand globally along with increased activity in the Pacific Ocean.
Said official noted that Russia’s navy has been visiting the Caribbean islands annually between 2013 and 2020. During these tours, aircraft are said to have violated the airspace of America's allies in the region repeatedly.
The upcoming joint sea and air operation is the first of its kind since the Trump administration.
As a testimony to the latter, the official observed that Russia’s visits to “the Western Hemisphere are less frequent.” The reason for this he says, is “Russia has limited capacity for this kind of sustained power projection.”
“But this (exercise) is something they’re doing, and clearly, they are unhappy - needless to say - with our support for Ukraine and support for our NATO allies.”
This development follows a report on May 29, by Knewz.com, quoting a threat by Putin.
While speaking to the press during a visit to the former soviet state, Uzbekistan, he was questioned about the possibility of Ukraine using Western weapons on Russian soil.
His response to this was: “This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences.”
“Representatives of countries that are NATO members, particularly in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with,” he said via the Presidency of Russia.
“It is another step towards a serious conflict in Europe [and] towards a global conflict,” Putin told reporters.
