Russian Destroyers Pull In To Havana

First Such Visit Since Soviet Era; Relations Warming Between The Cold War Allies

(CBS/AP)  A Russian anti-submarine destroyer and two logistical warships docked in Cuba on Friday, a thumb-your-nose port call aimed at Washington in waters just 90 miles from Florida.

The arrival extends a tour that included stops in Venezuela and Panama and shows Moscow's desire to flex some muscle in America's backyard. It comes even as President Raul Castro reaches out to the U.S., offering to negotiate directly with President-elect Barack Obama and proposing an unprecedented swap of political prisoners.

"That is Cuba's diplomatic specialty, playing both sides, or all sides, on every issue," said Daniel Erikson, director of Caribbean programs at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank.

Russian sailors in white and tan dress uniforms stood at attention on the deck of the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer, which chugged into Havana Bay amid a cloud of gray smoke. The ships will be moored here until Tuesday, and the crew planned a tour of Havana that includes a trip to a Cuban naval school.

"Cubans knew it was coming in and they were out there," said CBS News producer Portia Siegelbaum. "It caused great excitement here in the capital. The entire waterfront drive was lined with hundreds of people, and all the cars were driving along at the same speed as the destroyer as it sailed into the Bay of Havana."

A Cuban cannon fired a 21-blast salute that rattled the windows of nearby buildings, and a naval band waiting on a cruise ship dock played the Russian and Cuban national anthems. A hulking barge that frequently ferries U.S. food to the island happened to be waiting in the area but had to move to make room for the Russian warships. It was unclear whether it had any American cargo aboard.

Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo prohibits American tourists from visiting Cuba, but the U.S. has allowed cash-only sales of its agricultural products to the island since 2000 and has long since become the country's largest source of food.

Erikson, author of a new book called "The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution," said he was not surprised to see Russian ships come to Cuba at the same time the communist government is promoting a thawing in its relations with Washington.

"Cuba has always been a country that wants to have its cake and eat it too," he said. "They want to keep the United States as the No. 1 enemy and at the same time benefit from U.S. travel and trade."

The Soviet Union provided billions of dollars in trade and annual subsidies to Cuba before its 1991 collapse. Relations soured after that, but the Cold War allies have become close again, with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visiting Havana in November.

Friday marked the first time Russian military ships have visited Cuba since the end of the Soviet era. About 100 Cubans - as well as tourists from Russia and other foreign destinations - watched the arrival from a nearby sidewalk. The crowd grew so large that police blocked off the right lane of a crowded boulevard adjacent the bay.

"This shows relations with Russia never deteriorated," said Eric Hernandez, a naval administrative employee who left his office across the street for a closer view. "Russia is a brother nation to Cuba, and Cuba has brother nations all over the world, despite what the United States wants."

But another onlooker, retired airport employee Jorge Fernandez, said he hoped the Russian visit wouldn't send Washington the wrong signal.

"The new president of the United States wants peace and tranquility with Cuba," he said. "This is positive for Cuba and Russia. But they might not agree in the United States."

The Russian ships arrived as Castro was set to return from his first state visit to Brazil, where he said Thursday he would consider releasing some jailed political dissidents as a gesture to opening talks with the Obama administration. Castro's trip also included a stop in Venezuela, where he met with U.S. critic Hugo Chavez.

Erikson noted that "the U.S. is important for Cuba, but it's not the only international relationship they're trying to manage."

"To some degree, the Cuban government says 'There's no way of knowing what the U.S. will do ultimately so we better have relationships with Russia, Brazil and China in our back pocket,"' he said. "It's hard to imagine Cuba saying 'We don't want Russian warships to come,' because they don't know what the U.S. will do."

The Russian ships' trip to Cuba has largely failed to register in Washington, but State Department spokeswoman Heidi Bronke rejected Castro's offer of a prisoner swap, saying the more than 200 jailed dissidents should be released immediately without conditions. Castro said the U.S. would need to release the so-called "Cuban Five," who were convicted in 2001 on U.S. espionage charges.

Cuban human rights activists also have panned the notion of a prisoner exchange, saying the jailed activists, independent journalists and political dissidents should not be used as bargaining chips.

In a statement Friday, the country's best-known political opposition leader, Oswlado Paya, called on Castro to free political prisoners without asking for anything in return, saying doing so "would be an act of justice for the people of Cuba, and is a moral and political obligation for the government."

[night145]

Cuba and russia are planning the invasiopn of the US in January when their undercover secret-cop Barack HUSSEIN Obama becomes president. =P

[dennisgreen5]

The Russians can flex their muscles and pretend they''re stronger. A nuclear powered U.S.submarine can run in circles around a soviet submarine traveling at flank speed (fastest) traveling in a straight course. The U.S. has submarines armed with missiles that can launch as many as 25 ballistic missiles to anywhere on this planet.

[runningralph]

Another good reason not to close Guantanamo.

[mcapek]

Russian navy had to send 2 tugboats, in case their warship has a catastrophic failure, to push it back all the way to Russia. The way the Russian economy is going, their dreams of rebuilding a big bad and dangerous military are going bye bye. They will soon be begging to borrow money, so they can buy food, hehehehe.

[walt1944-2009]

It has been learned that Russian warships have put into Havana, the first military visit by Russia to Cuba since the "good old days" of the Cold War.

The move is seen as a "up yours" gesture by the Russians to the USSA and the Great Emperor Bush II.

However, the Great Emperor Bush II is not overly concerned what happens in Castro-land, as he is more concerned that all of the $700 Billion Financial America "perk package" is spent by the time Obama takes office, and that the BIG 3 automakers go bankrupt so that 3 million plus ex-employees are added to the unemployment roles.

What a guy!!!

SIG HEIL, I''LL BUST THE MIDDLE CLASS YET!!!, BUSH!!!

[bjcone8559]

The Russians, as well as everyone else, know that Bush has our military streched so thin we couldn''t fight off a troop of brownies. This is just another step toward the total destruction of America set in motion by Ronnie RayGun and his ''trickle-down'' and nurtured by Bush I & II.

With Bush''s alienation of our allies, depletion of our military and destruction of our economy, the Russians (or Mexicans for that matter) can have their way with us if they so choose.

[tromba59]

nowaymcgoo,

I stated your case so very well that I have nothing else to add. This is a very rare occasion.

[tromba59]

Night145,

You are both an idiot and a racist. Enjoy your hateful life.

[thcarson-2009]

Russian navy had to send 2 tugboats, in case their warship has a catastrophic failure, to push it back all the way to Russia. The way the Russian economy is going, their dreams of rebuilding a big bad and dangerous military are going bye bye. They will soon be begging to borrow money, so they can buy food, hehehehe.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by mcapek at

All of the ruskies oil money will dry up pretty quick with oil at $30 a barrel, they''ll have all their ships back in home port rusting away before long.

[lmartink]

I too echo the comments of "nowaymcgoo" below. As the U.S. has become the world''s bully on the block, we should expect derisive jeers as our economy, and our once great nation go into serious decline.

Our decline began with the lousy actor who all of a sudden became an economist with the theory of "Reaganomics". It''s been all downhill from there, for a full 28 years of de-regulaltion (including Bill Clinton''s mistakes) and the tragedy of the Bush years.

The next few months will write the final coup d''etat to the whole miserable period.

[brainteaser2]

no big surprise here. How long did we think it would take for the Russians to set up a missile defense system in our back yard like we have done in theirs. Even though Obama will dissolve that thing fast- it still makes sense for Russia to be able to apply some pressure so that we don''t forget.

[whitemale08]

How does it feel neo-condumbism?

How does it feel to be surrounded by a super-power?

Now that the Iraq war has basicly bankrupt America, this operation is a no-brainer for Russia.

Thanks ''trickle-down'' Ronny.

[hetup-2009]

Castro is a real man. He fought the USA all these years and won. It''s time for the USA to admit he is the better man and come to terms, Castro''s terms. History will long remember him as the man who stood up to one of the most corrupt governments in the world. Nice to see real military men from Russia. They are not to be screwed with. Unlike the wastes the US has.

[swingset4u]

Russian Destroyers Pull In To Havana


So......Big deal. The Russians can sail a boat. They can even park it up against a dock. WOW!

[yourpointis]

just wait mcsame and bush will start WW 3

Posted by pythoncharly at 08:24 PM : Dec 19, 2008

You still living under a rock Python?

[swingset4u]

Castro is a real man. He fought the USA all these years and won.

Posted by HETUP

Yeah a REAL OLD man.... What has Castro won for his people? Don''t get me wrong, Since Bush has been in office all we have won was 8 years of wearing our waders! But seriously, what has Castro won???? Did he take door number two instead???

[caco58]

Russia is testing Obama already, gonna see how bad ash he is.
"Chugged into Havana Bay amid a cloud of gray smoke". Boy, I bet that clunker is one high tech ship.

[swingset4u]

Does ANYONE think for a minute that these Russian ship made it to a thrid world port of call without being tracked closely by U.S. subs???? TRUST ME. No one gets that close to the U.S. without being sited in a scope or locked onto. If you think so, then you are are VERY naive.. Huh Nancy?

[ajmarine111]

"Chugged into Havana Bay amid a cloud of gray smoke".

Posted by caco58 at 10:15 PM : Dec 19, 2008



They must not be "Green" yet.

[ajmarine111]

What has Castro won for his people?

Posted by swingset4u at 10:13 PM : Dec 19, 2008




Where else in the World can you go and see all so Vintage cars from the 50''s still running around.

[taylorsucram]

I am an African-American Vietnam Vet. For all you Castro/Cuba haters out there here is the truth. Everyone in Cuba gets free medical care and everyone that is capable gets a free college education. Everyone else in the world is trading with Cuba one way or another. Oh, yeah I forgot, 70 percent of the Cuban people "look like me". This is the result of Slaves "jumping ship" for a better life. READ YOUR HISTORY ACCEPT THE FACT THAT OUR POLICY IS RACIST.

[spinproof]

Pres.-elect Obama has publicly expressed a willingness to improve relations with Cuba and Iran for that matter and many hawks in the U.S. took Pres.-elect Obama to task for wanting to do so. Pres.-elect Obama stuck his neck out and spent some of his political capital to send a positive signal to Cuba''s leaders, but in return Cuba makes Obama''s task harder and maybe even impossible now by hosting Russian warships! If Cuba wants to end the U.S. embargo and improve relations with the U.S., Cuba may have just flushed that possibility down the toilet. If Cuba did not want to send the wrong signal to the U.S. it failed.

[likenoone-2009]

Thay see obama as weak and there right

[spinproof]

Thay see obama as weak and there right

Posted by likenoone at 11:36 PM : Dec 19, 2008

How can they know? Obama has not been sworn in yet! lol

[glidescube]

That Russian ship was built in 1999 and it looks like a WWII relic.

[likenoone-2009]

Lets sit and talk thay see TV too

[likenoone-2009]

and from were there sitting with old systeams thay can
hit every major city right now

[spinproof]

and from were there sitting with old systeams thay can
hit every major city right now

Posted by likenoone at 11:50 PM : Dec 19, 2008

Thats a 50-50 proposition! Recent events have shown the Russians blowing themselves up along with their suspect fleet, and calling the Russian Navy a fleet is being kind!

[likenoone-2009]

do you know how much oil money the have in WWII they sucker hitler

[rangerdahl]

taylorsucram:

Then move there. I will give you a ride, free. Please.

[rangerdahl]

william545:

Having seen the over-the-top bombast, uninformed diatribes, immature rhetoric, ad hominem attacks, juvenile hyperbole, and flag burning vile that your liberal sewer for a mouth frequently spews on here...I wouldn''t subject myself to even one minute of your company...let alone the ride to Cuba. You, my friend, are a walking example of why clothes hanger abortions are sometimes necessary to spare the rest of us from the unwanted contact with someone who contributes nothing and expects everything. I hope Darwanism manifests itself on you and you perish like the weak should.

Please don;t respond to me, you aren''t worthy enough to talk to me.

[slinginrich]

Wake up, Droolers, you''re about to be Eliminated. You''ve caused too many problems, used up too many Valuable, Irreplaceable Resources, and the Ruling Elite have devised a Plan to create a Better World......without any of you in it.
Get ready for "World Population Elimination",
due to begin shortly, as Millions of Desperate, Out-of-Work and Starving Citizens, begin to clash with the Police and recently Domestically Assigned Military Units, and Implimentation of the "Final Solution" can begin.
(Do continue to go about your Day-to-Day Lives though, as if nothing were really wrong. Their Plans depend on Millions of Deluded, Gullible, Retardds, unaware of what is happening right in front of them in Broad Daylight)......LOL

[harp1963]

We build military bases all around Russia and we''re surprised they are now beginning to establish military relations around our country. George Bush, the biggest diplomatic failure the United States has ever had for a President.

[samael2014]

We build military bases all around Russia and we''''''''re surprised they are now beginning to establish military relations around our country. George Bush, the biggest diplomatic failure the United States has ever had for a President.

Posted by harp1963 at 12:58 AM : Dec 20, 2008
+ report abuse

*******

if you are not russian.then sir your are an idiot

Posted by LordSunTzu at 01:34 AM : Dec 20, 2008

It hardly takes a russian or even an idiot to realize the new world order brought about by the Bush Administration. Bring America to it''s knees as the greatest economic disaster known to mankind -- crippled by national debt and allies who can''t wait to get themselves out of this mess and cut their connections with the U.S. like an island of lepers, create strong alliances between oil and gas producing nations of various nationalities with key positions around the world including the western hemisphere, strong ties bound by a common moral reprehension of American hypocrisy and arrogance and fueled by the latest economic assault on the world.

Bush was the perfect storm for America. This SOB came along and did in eight short years, what would have taken centuries of world-wide disdain and reckless debt spending to achieve. The extent and level of damage done to this country is actually more super-natural than anything. An achievement that has no equal in all of earth''s history. He''s like .... a God.

[reaganitegop]

The Russian Navy is about as threatening as a barge full of scrap metal, LOL.

But the paranoid KGB thugs in the Kremlin will take anything you allow them to, through threats, lies, and temper tantrums. If you expected good-faith diplomacy, you must have been thinking of somebody else.

They''ve got a big chip on their shoulder after Reagan drove them into the ground. They will cause us any possible trouble, like a jealous sibling%u2026 and actually still believe they should be an %u201Cequal%u201D to the US... when all they really are is a Saudi Arabia with trees and vodka.

It would be preferable if they feared us, at least a little%u2026 which unfortunately they don''t with Obama coming in.

JFK had affected a serious tone in 1960, to counter for his age and limited experience. Soon, the press and country simply went ga-ga over the charming and articulate young president%u2026 it appeared to be the dawn of a great new era.

Despite his popularity and seemingly-impressive cabinet, Kennedy promptly stumbled into the Cuban Bay-of-Pigs debacle, in which he was comprehensively outwitted by Fidel Castro.

JFK was again tested soon thereafter by the Soviet Union%u2019s aggressive nuclear brinkmanship on that very same island, just 90 miles from our shores%u2026 which brought the world to the precipice of WWIII.

"Yes We Can" invade Ukraine- so what are you going to do about it, Barack?

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/

[alphaa10000]

reaganiteGOP said, "... Kennedy promptly stumbled into the Cuban Bay-of-Pigs debacle, in which he was comprehensively outwitted by Fidel Castro."
---

Obviously, you completed the GOP comic book on the subject. But when will you GOP bozos figure out the whole country has rejected your Reagan-era jingo-patriotism as a relic of incompetence, and certainly of the past eight years of disaster. Even McBush voted out of the Grand Reagan Adventure in Lebanon.

Bush, himself, spent America into budget deficit oblivion, and plundered the national economy. Not content with that, he left Wall Street in a forty-alarm conflagration through his cherished, politically-correct dogma of DE-regulation. For most people, that leaves GOP economics-- trickledown and all-- the full equivalent of economic suicide.

As for JFK and the Bay of Pigs-- to paraphrase Jeremy Irons as Count von Bulow, "You have no idea."

[alphaa10000]

ReaganiteGOP quipped, "Yes We Can" invade Ukraine- so what are you going to do about it, Barack?"
---

If you knew your political geography, you would have said "CIS" or Russia or Bylerussia, but not the Ukraine.

The Ukraine declared independence from the Russian orbit, and after some difficulty, the "velvet revolution" succeeded.

The very last thing the Ukraine needs is some misguided American members of the GOP, replete with storm-trooper boots, parachuting into Kiev.

As your post indicates, their only contribution could be confusion, fog, fear and doubt. Now, there is a motto for the legacy of G.W. Bush.

[alphaa10000]

It is Bylorussia, not Bylerussia.

[spinproof]

Posted by mtee12 at 06:25 AM : Dec 20, 2008

It''s not about a nation per say, it''s about an idea, in this case the idea is "FREEDOM". FREE Democratic nations who share the idea and ideals of FREEDOM are one. FREE Democratic nations select their leaders via fair elections whereas Communist nations can end up with a bad leader, a bad apple and be stuck with that leader for life! If the Communist leader is performing well then the Communist leader will be returned to power by the people via fair elections. Why do Communist fear fair elections? Why do Communist leaders fear letting their people pick their own leaders? The national symbol of the United States of America is the bald Eagle, Eagles don''t flock, Eagles are born free to do their own thing and not herded like cattle and led around on a communist chain and leash like a dog! Americans are "Born Free" and can express their freedom anyway they legally choose, Communist don''t know anything about "real" FREEDOM. Communist are like a pet puppy raised in a cage who when the cage door is open will still not go out and seek freedom because it doesn''t know any better, Communist have a slave mentality. As bad as some may think Pres. Bush is, Bush is going away because of American Democracy, Bush is not for life, Bush is not permanent, in less than 35 days no more Bush! Communist Castro like his brother is for life, who in Cuba voted for Castro or his brother?

[alphaa10000]

mtee12 said, "If the U.S. imperialists want to put pressure on Russia in Russia''s backyard, Russia will respond in kind..."
---

Bush is almost gone, so appraise Obama on his own terms, without the rancor you would direct at Bush (or McBush). The two men and their politics are not the same, at all.

Perhaps, this has more to do with Putin''s expanding grasp on Russian politics than with Obama. During Putin''s watch, opposition parties were driven underground, are now effectively silenced and media critics have disappeared. This cannot be the "Russian way" of democracy of which Putin once boasted to Bush.

After all, playing to a naive, militant nationalism for home consumption is exactly what Reagan and Bush did, and invites the same unfortunate consequences. America is still paying the price for the folly and forfeited opportunities of the Reagan and Bush years.

A militant nationalism also encourages the same fascist political attitudes Bush made famous. Both America and Russia must be careful of jingo ("Me first!") nationalist attitudes, because the world becomes smaller by the day as our interdependence grows.

Meanwhile, we must look past old quarrels and build for the future. There are enough challenges to go around.

[alphaa10000]

spinproof-- You may have been spun by reading too much GOP stuff from the Reader''s Digest Cold War Collection.

This is not a battle between "Communists" and the US. The only nominally communist country of military power is China, with which the US persistently trades itself into deficit oblivion.

And so well under Clinton and G.W. Bush, the communists own part of the US economy.

The opportunity American politicians have missed since Kennedy''s proposed Alliance for Progress has developed into a profound antipathy between American neighbors-- countries which should be helping one another to prosperity, instead of arguing whose warships may anchor in their ports.

[spinproof]

This is not a battle between "Communists" and the US.

Posted by alphaa10000 at 07:14 AM : Dec 20, 2008

It very much is a battle between Communist and the U.S. and other Democracies, the traditional U.S. posture was never to do business with "Red China" or Communist, remember that language? But then greed set in and Chinese cheap labor was exploited at the demise of the American worker. Wealth for the few at the expense of the many, America lost its way, did not stick to its values. The U.S. and free nations can not really do business with Communist who exploit child labor and their poor and expect not to run up deficits, our systems are not compatible and neither are our value systems, Democracies can''t play in that losers game, Democracies have a different standard of living. Democracies should never have begun trading with Communist in the first place, Democracies are financing their own demise.

[zzy-izzy]

Hell the USA has money printed that the world knows nothing about we have tons it''s not worth a shi! but we have tons and not to worry they just stopped of for a few smokes.

[kuei12]

"It very much is a battle between Communist and the U.S. and other Democracies"

Democracies? What democracies? Surely you don''t mean to suggest that america is still a democracy. The Ununited Socialist States of America.

[ruslant-2009]

america is responsible of war in Ossettia 2000 Ossettians have been killed by american supported georgian troops !!! america will pay all of its crimes soon !! lets wait and see

[spinproof]

america is responsible of war in Ossettia 2000 Ossettians have been killed by american supported georgian troops !!! america will pay all of its crimes soon !! lets wait and see


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ruslant at 08:54 AM : Dec 20, 2008

South Ossettia is officially a part of Georgian territory recognized by the U.N. and Russia! Russia had no official business sending military forces to invade Georgia without a U.N. mandate or U.N. approval no matter what was going on inside of Georgia''s sovereign territory just because Russia did not like what was going on there. Russia''s invasion of Georgia was officially wrong and condemed! Russia is responsible for expanding the war in Ossettia and should recognize and obey international maps and borders!

[longtree-2009]

american is no longer a democracy, can''t be. in california the state ag seeks to overturn the will of the people with regards to prop 8. why vote? we are closer to some form of anarchy when votes are no longer held valid nor protected by elected officials. as for the russians in cuba, if jfk had had stones castro would have been taken down with the bay of pigs invasion that jfk was to have supported. instead, jfk let the freedom fighters be slaughtered by castro''s forces. those that weren''t killed were captured. our nation is now corrupt across the board and in every institution. how is that democracy? we are more like a third world country trying to find its footing.

[spinproof]

Posted by longtree at 09:19 AM : Dec 20, 2008

Pres. John F. Kennedy supported the Bay of Pigs invasion but not with American forces, he wanted the fight to stay between Cuban political factions and Castro won, that was the way it was suppose to turn out else it be seen as an American land grab and illegal. Pres. Kennedy helped the opposition to Castro but only up to a point and never personally supported direct American involvement, others did.

[spinproof]

american is no longer a democracy, can''t be. in california the state ag seeks to overturn the will of the people with regards to prop 8. why vote?

Posted by longtree at 09:19 AM : Dec 20, 2008

Pres.-elect Obama and Vice Pres.-elect Biden will restore America''s Democracy, no problem. Californians will remove that AG next election cycle, no problem.

[sepa2]

This is their farewel trip. With oil sinking below $40 there won''t be any extravaganza for some time to come