Russian warships are heading to the Caribbean

The U.S. said it is monitoring Russian warships and aircraft heading to the Caribbean for a military exercise in the coming weeks.

According to reports from the White House this is seen as a show of force amid rising tensions over Western military support for Ukraine.

The U.S. officials say the Russian ships may also visit Venezuela and Cuba. However, the senior Biden administration officials do not find this concerning.
The exercise, involving a few Russian ships and support vessels, will be monitored by the U.S. military.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks about potential “asymmetrical steps” in response to U.S. support for Ukraine are thought to be related to this exercise.

The Russian ships’ movements have been tracked by the U.S. Navy, although Russia did not notify the U.S. about the exercise.

The officials say the exercise is part of a broader Russian response to the U.S. support for Ukraine.
They also mentioned that many countries conduct military exercises in international waters regularly.

The U.S. expects the Russian ships to stay in the region through the summer and conduct additional exercises afterward. Congress was informed of the upcoming Russian exercises on Wednesday.