AP
By DAVID NOWAK, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW – A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.
The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.
The Kremlin, however, said the situation was hypothetical.
"The military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all," Alexei Pavlov, a Kremlin official, told The Associated Press. "If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," he said.
Zhikharev said Chavez had offered "a whole island with an airdrome, which we can use as a temporary base for strategic bombers," the agency reported. "If there is a corresponding political decision, then the use of the island ... by the Russian Air Force is possible."
Interfax reported he said earlier that Cuba has air bases with four or five runways long enough for the huge bombers and could be used to host the long-range planes.
Two Russian bombers landed in Venezuela last year in what experts said was the first Western Hemisphere touchdown of Russian military craft since the end of the Cold War.
Cuba has never permanently hosted Russian or Soviet strategic aircraft. But Soviet short-range bombers often made stopovers there during the Cold War.
Russia resumed long-range bomber patrols in 2007 after a 15-year hiatus.
Independent military analyst Alexander Golts said from a strategic point of view there was nothing for Russia to gain from basing long-range craft within relatively short range of U.S. shores.
"It has no military sense. The bombers don't need any base. This is just a retaliatory gesture," Golts said, saying Russia wanted to hit back after U.S. ships patrolled Black Sea waters.
Moscow and the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama have appeared to want to mend their relations, which reached a post-Cold War low last year when Russia's invasion of U.S. ally Georgia compounded disputes on security and democracy.
U.S. plans initiated under former President George W. Bush to position defense missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic had particularly irked Russia, which has welcomed his successor's apparently more cautious approach to the divisive issue.
Venezuela and Cuba, traditionally fierce U.S. foes, have close political and energy relations with Russia.
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4 comments:
This should make us all feel really safe, he said sarcastically. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have gotten worse in the last few years, as Russia moves back toward a dictatorship. Relations with Cuba have been bad for 50 years, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuala has long advocated the destruction of the United States. Even if the Russians say there is nothing to this, we should still take it seriously and try to prevent it from happening.
What the U.S. is facing is another Cold War scenario. Russia would not think to attack the U.S., especially since the fall of communism within Russia. They are weak and are of no threat to the U.S.
This situation is not of immediate threat to the United States or to the Franklin States. The facts are long range bombers in Cuba have no strategic military advantage toward the United States. It would be a waste of resources to place a long range military weapon so close to the shore of the United States. After conflicts in the past, there should be a definite, dictated effort to resolve any conflict with Russia. The FP agree with U.S. President Obama’s plan to approach this situation with caution and seek a peaceful solution.
The MP sees no immediate danger with the current situation with Russia. The MP does not see taking action as a wise choice for its time or its resources at this time.
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