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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: RUSSIA CUBA
HEADER: Russian forces arrive in Cuba for joint maneuvers
TEASER: Both Moscow and Havana say Russian-Cuban exercises do not represent a threat to the region, but the West watches closely
PUBLISHED AT: 06/13/2024 at 10:16 am
BYLINE: Ricardo Marquina
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Undated
VIDEOGRAPHER: Ricardo Marquina
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original, Agencies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:04
VID APPROVED BY: Baragona
TYPE: TV/R
EDITOR NOTES: Jonathan Spier narrates English version; for production Thursday))
((INTRO:)) [[A flotilla of Russian warships has arrived in Cuban waters to carry out joint maneuvers with the Cuban armed forces, a visit that both Moscow and Havana assure does not represent a threat to the region, but Western governments are watching closely. Jonathan Spier narrates this report by Ricardo Marquina.]]
((VIDEO: Port of Havana, Cuba. Look for Russian military approaching. REUTERS))
((NARRATOR))
Ships of the Russian Navy enter the port of Havana. Among them the frigate Gorshkov and the nuclear submarine Kazan stand out.
The Russian Ministry of Defense assures that none of these warships carry nuclear weapons and that this visit does not pose a threat to anyone.
Observers see this as a Kremlin attempt to show the world that Russia has allies in Latin America.
[[RADIO VERSION. Mathieu Boulègue, a consulting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program Chatham House spoke to VOA.]]
((Mathieu Boulègue, Chatham House - MALE IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
((via Zoom))
“In the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 it does add an extra layer of provocation, a little bit of muscle flexing to show specifically now that Russia is not alone, is not isolated in the international community and can still operate with other powers, militarily speaking and demonstrate presence, force and deployments.”
((VIDEO: Russian flotilla in the port of Havana. REUTERS))
((NARRATOR))
But in the current atmosphere of tension between Russia and the West, Washington does not see this as a routine visit, and observers are watching closely especially after U.S. President Joe Biden approved Ukraine’s use of American weapons against targets inside Russian territory.
Some Western security analysts say that in any case, the physical threat posed by the Russian navy in these waters is minimal.
((Dr. Sidharth Kaushal, Royal United Services Institute in London ( MALE IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
[[RADIO VERSION. Sidharth Kaushal is a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.]]
((Sidharth Kaushal, Royal United Services Institute (MALE IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
((Via ZOOM))
“The ability of the Russian navy to maintain any kind of competitive posture against the US Navy may be particularly at this sort of distance in the United States’ own backyard is limited to the extreme in any kind of war fighting context.”
((VIDEO: Streets of Havana. REUTERS))
((NARRATOR))
The arrival of Russian warships in Havana recalls the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of a nuclear confrontation.
[[RADIO VERSION: Philip Brenner is an Emeritus Professor of International Relations and History at American University in Washington.]]
((Philip Brenner, American University - MAN IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
((via Zoom))
“We came closer than ever at blowing up the world because the United States was not aware that the Soviets had actually brought the warheads for the missiles into the island.”
((NARRATOR))
More than a show of force this time, analysts see Moscow as sending a message that in the face of growing international isolation, it still has friends in the far reaches of the world.
((For Ricardo Marquina, Jonathan Spier, VOA News))
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