Next week, three Russian Navy ships and a nuclear-powered submarine will visit the Port of Havana, according to a statement from the Cuban armed forces.

This visit, set to begin on June 12 and last for a week, includes the Russian missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, the nuclear sub Kazan, the oil tanker Pashin, and the salvage tug Nikolai Chiker.

The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces emphasized that this visit reflects the friendly relations between Cuba and Russia, complies with international law, and poses no security threat since the ships do not carry nuclear weapons.

A U.S. official confirmed that the exercises will involve increased naval and air activity near the United States, marking the first coordinated Russian air and sea exercise in the Western Hemisphere in five years, the Miami Herald has reported.

The official expressed disappointment but not surprise at Cuba’s decision to host the Russian ships, noting that U.S. intelligence believes the nuclear-powered submarine is not armed with nuclear weapons and poses no direct threat to U.S. national security.

The U.S. official also suggested that Cuba’s approval of the visit might be linked to a previous incident where a U.S. nuclear submarine docked at Guantanamo Bay, which had angered the Cuban government.

Written by B.C. Begley