The Russian government is threatening to export the conflict in Ukraine to Latin America through military cooperation with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaraguawarned a senior US government official on Thursday.
“Commitment to democracy in the hemisphere has never seemed more urgent as Russia tramples on Ukraine’s democracy and… threatens to export the Ukraine crisis to Americaexpands its military cooperation with Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela Kerry HannanAssistant Assistant Secretary, Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State.
At a hearing before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Hannan pointed out that these three totalitarian regimes are improving their diplomatic, economic and military ties with Moscow in this way They have refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine in various international arenasreports the news portal Infobae.
He believes that, on the other hand, most countries in the region are expressing their opposition to the war and are calling for a diplomatic solution to be found.
In addition, he emphasized Disagreements between his government and that of the People’s Republic of Chinawhich does not impose economic sanctions on Russia and defends the Kremlin’s membership in economic and regional organizations such as that G-20 group.
in the audience, Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio asked Hannan about the White House’s loss of influence in Latin America and the State Department’s strategies to counteract it Russia’s growing military ties with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The politician also said that the US government cannot ignore China’s problem, both in the region and globally. His view is that while Russia is a problem now or for the next five or ten years, the Asian giant is a challenge for the next century.
In January 2022, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Riabkov has announced his country’s intentions to establish military bases on the continent, thanks to the cooperation of the rulers of Cuba and Venezuela, who are willing to allow the entry of soldiers and equipment into their territories.
The representatives of the Cuban regime have remained true to their alliance with Moscow and have described the invasion of Ukraine as a “strategic operation”the same term the Kremlin uses to justify its attack.
In February this year, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry published a protest note in which criticized the statements made by the Cuban government in support of Russian aggression. The island’s State Department blamed the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for starting the military conflict.
The Cuban authorities, citing Russia’s “well-founded demands for security guarantees,” considered it a mistake on the part of Western diplomacy to assume that the President Wladimir Putin it would not respond to NATO’s military expansion, which is seen as a direct threat to its national security.
On March 24, a month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cuba again refrained from condemning the military aggression before the United Nations General Assembly during a conclave-presented vote on organizing the sending of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian cities hardest hit by the bombings.
The resolution, sponsored by more than 90 nationsin addition to the suspension, called for the immediate cessation of all hostilities and military operations Attacks on the population and civilian infrastructure.