The US expects Russia to begin air and naval exercises in the Caribbean in the coming weeks, according to a US official.
The drills, which will include Russian warships and long-range bombers, will be the first simultaneous air and naval maneuvers Russia has conducted in the Caribbean since 2019. The US interprets them as a response to US support for Ukraine and the intensification of the US. exercises with NATO allies.
However, the exercises have been planned for some time, the official said, and appear unlikely to be a response to President Biden's recent partial lifting of the ban against Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia. The Miami Herald first reported Russia's intended plans for air and naval exercises in the Caribbean.
Last week, the US came clean Ukraine to use the weapons on the Russian side of the border near the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The Biden administration adapted the US permit to the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation and restricted the use of the weapons to Russian artillery sites and other weapons aimed at them around Kharkiv. The Ukrainians are still not allowed to use US-supplied long-range equipment, such as ATACMs, to hit Russia beyond that point, in order to avoid the perception of a direct US escalation with Russia.
The Russian exercises are not considered a direct threat to the United States, the official said. Russian ships are expected to call in Cuba and possibly Venezuela, and the exercises will last through the summer, culminating in a global naval exercise in the fall.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.
David Martin
