Russia's Influence Strongly Felt In America's Backyard
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has been shoring support from his counterparts in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, according to recent reports.
That is no surprise, as Russia has always sought influence in the Western Hemisphere as a counterbalance to U.S. prominence in the region.
Add to that, more than a few Latin American leaders have been quiet about Putin's moves in Eastern Europe.
Ryan C. Berg, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, will remind you that the Russians, through the years, have provided military hardware to a number of Latin American Countries. For example, Russian jet fighters that the backbone of the Peruvian Air Force.
Berg told CBS4, "Russia has influence throughout the region, particularly with its autocratic allies of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. There are a lot of legacy weapon systems in Latin America, where Russia has a footprint to service those weapons and ensure arms traffic and arms sales."
Russian involvement in Cuba is more than well known in South Florida. And Russian/Cuba engagement is ramped up again, and it seems that every time Russia makes a move in Europe, the Russians visit Latin America.
"It is clear that every time Russia is intending to commit aggression in the European theater, they show up," said Berg.
Putin, no stranger to Latin America, has exchanged visits with Cuba and Venezuela.
Russian diplomats had been especially active prior to the Ukrainian invasion.
Nowhere is the Russian influence more notable than the saturation of the Latin American media landscape and R.T. stands for Russian TV in Spanish, which is available almost everywhere in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Berg said it "presents like a legitimate news outlet, but again, a lot of propaganda and Kremlin talking points."
R.T. Television Network has more than 18 million Latin American followers on Facebook.
But what is Russia's major interest in Latin America? According to Berg is not Cuba, "I would consider Venezuela to be the best of their relationships, it is the most all-encompassing in terms that it is security, economic, and financial."
Cuba, other than its proximity to the U.S., has few resources to offer compared to Venezuela. Venezuela has oil, Cuba does not.