Four Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, are arriving in Havana today.
This decision was made by the Kremlin in response to NATO countries lifting certain restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine. Given that the defense infrastructure of Ukrainian eastern cities is unable to cope with the intensity of missile strikes launched from Russia, President Zelensky has called on the West to allow Kyiv to use the provided weapons to target military objectives based on Russian territory. Joining the UK and France, the US eased these restrictions, permitting Ukraine to strike objects in areas bordering the northeastern Kharkiv region. Putin attempts to counteract these developments by deploying the Russian warships to Cuba, echoing the scenario of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Once again, he is threatening Western countries with retaliation in response to the potential use of their weapons directly on Russian territory. However, these weapons have already been used in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea, which are formally incorporated into the Russian Federation.
Washington doesn’t perceive the deployment of Russian warships in Cuba as dangerous, and Putin’s nuclear threats no longer produce the desired effect. Therefore, it is unlikely to affect further easing of restrictions on the use of Western weapons in the war. On the contrary, the Russian offensive in Kharkiv is likely to push the West towards more decisive actions regarding reinforcing Ukrainian defense.