Tensions are rising in the Caribbean as a Canadian warship docks in Havana, joining a U.S. submarine that recently arrived, shortly after Russian warships anchored in Cuban waters. Hundreds of Cubans gathered to witness this unusual naval convergence, reminiscent of Cold War confrontations.

The Canadian navy patrol ship arrived in Havana early Friday, following the U.S. announcement that a fast-attack submarine had docked at its Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. These events occurred shortly after Russian warships arrived on the island earlier in the week. This assembly of Russian, Canadian, and U.S. vessels in Cuba, a Communist nation located just 145 km (90 miles) south of Florida, evokes memories of Cold War tensions and highlights the strained relations between Russia and Western nations over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Both the U.S. and Cuba have stated that the presence of Russian warships does not pose a threat to the region, with Russia describing the arrival of its vessels in allied Cuba as routine. On Wednesday, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, partially submerged with its crew on deck, entered Havana harbor after completing “high-precision missile weapons” training in the Atlantic Ocean, according to Russia’s defense ministry.

Early on Friday, Canada’s Margaret Brooke patrol vessel began maneuvers to enter Havana harbor, which the Canadian Joint Operations Command described as a “port visit … in recognition of the long-standing bilateral relationship between Canada and Cuba.”

Just hours earlier, the U.S. Southern Command announced that the fast-attack submarine Helena had arrived at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. naval base approximately 850 km (530 miles) southeast of Havana, for a routine port visit.

“The vessel’s location and transit were previously planned,” stated Southern Command on X.

Cuba’s foreign ministry acknowledged it had been informed about the U.S. submarine’s arrival but expressed displeasure. Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío remarked, “Naval visits to a country are usually the result of an invitation, and this was not the case. Obviously, we do not like the presence in our territory of a submarine belonging to a power that maintains an official and practical policy that is hostile against Cuba.”

A Canadian diplomat described the arrival of the Margaret Brooke as “routine and part of long-standing cooperation between our two countries,” emphasizing it was “unrelated to the presence of the Russian ships.”

Russia and Cuba, close allies during the Soviet era, experienced peak tensions with Washington over communism in the Western Hemisphere during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Moscow continues to maintain ties with Havana.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, when asked about Moscow’s message, commented that the West often overlooks diplomatic signals from Russia, stating, “As soon as it comes to exercises or sea voyages, we immediately hear questions and a desire to know what these messages are about. Why do only signals related to our army and navy reach the West?”

The Russian warships are expected to stay in Havana harbor until Monday.