By Zachary Keck
Russia’s defense minister says the country will soon build military bases everywhere from Vietnam to Cuba.
A senior Russian defense official has announced that Moscow is looking to build military bases throughout different countries in Asia and the Western Hemisphere.
According to RIA Novosti, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia is looking to build military bases in Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries.
“The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents,” Shoigu said, according to RIA Novosti. The newspaper noted that “Moscow currently has only one naval base outside the former Soviet Union – in Tartus, Syria, but the fate of this naval facility is uncertain because of the ongoing civil war in that country.”
The comments are probably intended in part to shore up domestic support for Vladimir Putin among Russian nationalists who are likely reassessing his leadership abilities in light of the events in the Ukraine in past weeks.
However, the timing and substance of the comments also suggest that Russia is trying to antagonize the United States because of the collapse of the Russian-backed Ukrainian government last week.
The bases, as noted above, are largely focused in Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Asia is the region that the U.S. has identified as the most important one for its national security in the decades ahead. Moscow is likely to trying to remind Washington that it has some ability to frustrate U.S. objectives in that theatre should Washington continue to press its claims in countries Russia views as vital to its security.
Read the full story at The Diplomat