by Amy S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is militarily ready for a Cuban Missile-style crisis if the United States wanted one and threatened to place hypersonic nuclear missiles on ships or submarines near U.S. territorial waters.
Russia has secretly installed nuclear missiles in Venezuela a US politician has sensationally claimed in a chilling echo of the Cuban missile crisis.
Republican congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said he believed Vladimir Putin’s hidden nukes were a direct threat to the “national security” of the United States.
He made his astonishing allegations hours after Venezuela was pushed to the brink of civil war when opposition leader Juan Guaido called for rival Nicolas Maduro to be ousted from office.
The Cuban Missile Crisis erupted in 1962 when Moscow responded to a U.S. missile deployment in Turkey by sending ballistic missiles to Cuba, sparking a standoff that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. More than five decades on, tensions are rising again over Russian fears that the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, as a landmark Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels. In response to US missile deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia could consider deploying its own systems in Venezuela. According to Aleksandr Sherin, first vice president of the State Duma Defense Committee, that would be a tough but effective answer.
“The US and its leaders throughout their history have, unfortunately, only demonstrated that the sensible and proper language of communication, the agreements, does not work with them. Unfortunately, the US only understands brute and crude force. Basically, they only understand what they use themselves,” said Sherin.
“The deployment of our systems in Venezuela, for example, is possible as an option, and may be termed a second Cuban Crisis, but it was precisely the Cuban Crisis that cooled the momentum of the United States for a long time,” he continued. “If this option, God forbid, had to be considered and put into practice, that would be a very tough but very effective option,” he said.
So the US/NATO can circle Russia with nuclear weapons, highly armed troops right up to their borders and waters? The US also can carp about the Chinese military presence in the S. China Sea. so on what basis can they complain if Cuba and say, Venezuela permit Russian military bases to be established on their territory? They expect Russia to accept ‘First Strike Missile Defence Systems’ on the borders of Russia.
Together with 24/7 back to back NATO exercises. What can the US actually do, to prevent Russia from doing the same? Why should not Russia place some of her very effective, and cost effective toys, over in Venezuela, together with re-opening her base in Cuba. The US has vowed to usurp the Venezuelan government and is engaged in economic warfare against both Caracas and Havana. Both countries have legitimate security concerns. In any case, the gloves are off.
Venezuela’s military bases, airfields and ports are also seem as an ideal staging-post for Russian forces in the region.
Mikael Wigell, of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told RFE/RL: “Establishing close relations with Venezuela gives Moscow a certain nuisance power in relation to the United States, and that can be used as a bargaining chip in future dealings with the United States.
“It also can be kind of a showcase for Russia’s aspirations to be considered a global power.”
Not surprisingly, Russia has repeatedly and openly supported Venezuela’s sovereignty, maintaining that the country should be allowed to develop without any external interference.
The support of the Russians is much welcome for Maduro who has found himself increasingly isolated since Donald Trump’s election.
US President Donald Trump has appealed for a swift end to the “brutal repression” of the Venezuelan people, following an abortive military uprising by forces backing the US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.
“The brutal repression of the Venezuelan people must end, and it must end soon,” Mr Trump said.
Putin now knows this is a fight to the death and is acting accordingly. For those that are too young to remember.
Russia didn’t put nukes in Cuba until the USA started to put nukes into Turkey in early 60’s Now the USSR is dead and Russia is capitalist, the USA still wants to push the envelope. This proves exactly that USA is not interested in peace and democracy but WAR and HEGEMONY. The modern USA is the idiotic woodpecker Woody. Between 1991 and 1999, the United States missed the only chance to make Russia its friend .friend, not vassal. I wrote and I will write again: Russia in 1991 departed from the destructive course that the Communists imposed on it when it was part of the USSR.
Young Russian democracy needed help and now the United States would have a friend and much more. But the United States, in its best traditions of the Wild West, began to rob Russia and support the alcoholic Yeltsin. Now Americans are surprised that the Russians have revived Christian Orthodoxy, Russians can’t tolerate communists (communists in Russia have the status of clowns) and consider Americans to be extremely dangerous psychopaths and morons. Do not believe me – ask the Russians yourself. So all their preparations for war are fully justified.
Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s defense committee and a former airborne troops commander, became the latest Moscow figure to warn of the historic consequences of the U.S. leaving the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
He said in order to strengthen their military presence in Cuba, they need the consent of the Cuban government. And that now they are in the active phase of assessing this scenario and proposals will next be prepared with estimates.
Shamanov’s remarks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to receive Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on the first stop of his debut world tour.
The Russian politician went on to say that he would “not exclude” the prospect of a Russian military base in the Caribbean country coming up during these talks, which would also reportedly include a $50 million Russian loan for Cuba to buy weapons.
This new alliance in Central American between socialist governments and the Kremlin is a reminiscent of the height of the Cold War.