Russian warships en route to Cuba for military exercise expected to arrive next week

File photo: A Russian frigate is seen in the port of Havana on June 24, 2019. Four Russian ships are en route to Cuba for a military exercise and are expected to arrive in the country next week. © Ramon Espinosa, AP

Four Russian ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in Havana next week, Cuban officials said Thursday, citing “historically friendly relations” between both nations and as tensions escalate over Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Cuba’s foreign ministry said in a news release that the ships will be in Havana between June 12 and June 17, noting that none of them will carry any nuclear weapons and assuring their presence “does not represent a threat to the region.”