(((Hey wow. Guess what emergent group of oil-rich states won the war with the Axis of Evil?)))
(((I guess we should be glad they're not simply buying
US Senators, though perhaps that's just a matter of time.)))
Link: Chavez says Venezuela needs Russia for protection - International Herald Tribune.
MOSCOW: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on Tuesday for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect the South American country from the United States.
Chavez is expected to reach a number of agreements for purchasing military hardware while in Moscow, according to news media reports. One newspaper reported that the deals could be worth up to $2 billion.
"That way we can guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is now threatened by the United States," Chavez was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
Chavez was scheduled for his first meeting with Dmitry Medvedev since he became Russia's president in May. He also will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian military and business leaders, Chavez spokesman Tomas Ramirez said.
Russia's daily Kommersant reported Tuesday that Chavez is looking to order up to $2 billion worth of Ilyushin jets, diesel-powered submarines, TOR-M1 air defense systems and possibly tanks.
"We want peace, but we are forced to strengthen our defense," Chavez said when asked about the potential deals. (((And two billion for rusting tanks for a Venezuelan jungle comes out of the petty cash.)))
Venezuela, which spent $4 billion on international arms purchases between 2005 and 2007, mostly from Russia and China, has a defense budget of $2.6 billion, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
The U.S. stopped supplying arms to Venezuela in 2006....
