as talk between the two parties hit a brick wall due too the growing tension in Eastern Europe due to the new pro-NATO/EU Ukrainian government, Russia hit back by suggesting deployment of military personal in Cuba and Venezuela.
It seem Russia is looking for a reason to push tensions with America to take advantage of Biden unpopularity. Russian end game is clearly to stop Ukraine from joining NATO even if that require invasion.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia raised the stakes Thursday in its dispute with the West over Ukraine and NATO’s expansion when a top diplomat refused to rule out a military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States escalate.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he could “neither confirm nor exclude” the possibility of Russia sending military assets to Latin America if the U.S. and its allies don’t curtail their military activities on Russia’s doorstep.
“It all depends on the action by our U.S. counterparts,” the minister said in an interview with Russian television network RTVI, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow could take unspecified “military-technical measures” if the U.S. and its allies fail to heed its demands.
Not a very realistic threat from the Russians. Russian forces have been on again, off again, in Cuba many times. Venezuela is a lot farther from our border than Cuba. Air power is about the only effective asset they could deploy and we would outnumber what ever they deployed to the point of it being nothing more than symbolic. And it would be expensive. Russia has an effective military for threatening nations on its borders. It doesn’t have the capabilities for serious force projection into the Western Hemisphere.
Not real effective though. The Venezuelan government is already unpopular with it’s neighbors. Bringing in foreign troops wouldn’t do anything for that. In Cuba’s case, been there, done it. The Russians are lucky if they can deploy a 5 ship squadron at one time. They could send a couple of bombers. Fly some patrols off the gulf coast. The ANG fighter units that stand continental air defense would probably actually love that. A chance to intercept an actual bomber instead of intercepting small, unarmed planes full of cocaine. It just isn’t serious.
Only on paper. Putin won’t engage in a full on war with any of Russia’s neighbors at the risk of showing the world that Russia is nothing but a paper tiger.
The most Putin will do in the Ukraine is send in ununiformed “insurgents”. That gives him the deniability he needs.
