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Chavez set to spend big on Russian weapons

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow Tuesday to discuss a deal to spend billions on Russia weapons.

Chavez will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russia's new President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian news agency, Interfax, said

The two countries hope to sign an agreement for Venezuela to buy Russian military equipment, said Vyacheslav Davidenko, a spokesman for Rosoboronexport, Russia's government agency in charge of arms exports.

The agreement will allow "quick deliveries of arms and military hardware in the interests of Venezuela's security with the observance of international obligations and the laws of both countries," Davidenko told CNN.

Davidenko wouldn't elaborate on the types of weapons that Venezuela wanted to purchase -- or the cost. Previous military-technical contracts had been worth $4 billion, he said.

Interfax quoted an "informed military expert" as saying Venezuela planned to purchase up to 10 air defense systems, three diesel electric submarines, six more non-nuclear powered submarines and several surface vessels.

Venezuela also planned to discuss the possibility of buying certain aircraft, including combat helicopters, the expert said.

The Associated Press reported the deal could be worth $2 billion.

Venezuela is expected to spend over $30 billion under a program to rearm its armed forces up to 2012, the Interfax source said. According to Russian media reports, Russia could provide a loan of about $800 million to Venezuela to finance the arms deals.
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mundosanto

30 responses // Chavez set to spend big on Russian weapons

  • Sitting on all that oil, who can blame them?
    recommended by  huntre, Vierotchka
    Ethelred
    1 response to this
  • We have a way too big armament expense for a country that is not in war, and guees who benefits with all the old replaced weaponry.

    Many times the Venezuelan army have been caught giving armament to terrorist groups such as FARC in colombia.
    mundosanto
  • Scary to think what he is planning on doing with all these weapons
    yayi1
  • It's probably just for the sake of his own ego.

    It's a shame the money isn't being invested in education or healthcare instead.
    constantdisregard
    2 responses to this
  • he is crazy and should be removed from power. he is a nut job loony enough to attack
    diode
    4 responses to this
  • He's hedging his bet in case, by some deal with the devil McCain actually wins - smart man.
    eldamon
  • At least Chavez was a democratically elected dictator, which is more than you can say for Bush.

    The US has been supporting despotic regimes friendly to the US economy in South America for a long time. Chavez stands up and nationalizes his countries natural resources, no wonder he's an enemy of America.

    Even though Chavez seems to be power tripping more and more, he's still better for the people of Venezuela than a puppet dictator on the CIA payroll. He's smart for arming himself.
    flyingkick
  • And this will increase popularity among his own people how?
    huntre
  • He was treatened by Bushie while Bushies father the other crook was president. He told Chavez he was going to build a pipeline for oil straight to America and Chavez told him "Get F_____" and Bushie said "Do you know who I am" I am George Bush my father is president. And Chavez said "I really don't care who your father is". The exact words are in the book on Bill Clinton's Biography. This is why Bushie and Co. are having a hard time doing business in S.America. It's a wonder Bushie and Co. has not tried to attack thier country and steal the oil. If I were Chavez and I had a neighbor like Bushie and Co. I would arm myself too. Especially after being threatened by such neighbor and especially by the example the neighbor set by invading and occupying Iraq, threatening Iran, and occupying Afghanastan. Wow what an example of a peaceful neighbor. America is considered the terrorist country by many people, is it a wonder why?
    Robroy1
  • The US is Financing every single Weapon in the world by purchasing Oil externally. Well done! I'm sure you will then have an excuse to fight back and "Impulse the Economy".
    petarro
  • Chavez is not going to do anything with the weapons he's buying, if he does in fact buy them. He' "bucking" up like any country that wants to be a power does.
    aaronklong
    1 response to this
  • Isn't it dissapointing when somebody seems like such a progressive hope but turns out to be another windbag? I'm sure I'm not alone in the sincere desire of wanting to believe in him, only to have my hopes dashed by reality. Still, this later-day Juan Peron is going to leave his country better off than the elites that would rule in his place. We all need to remember that unkike a lot of oil dictators he is at least spending most of the money on improveing the lives of the poor.
    gbonser
    3 responses to this
  • Wow getting ready to defend your people and your country.
    powerup
  • Spend that oil money on something like food and medical care also housing for the 90% that live in poverty
    I'm sure those people don't make the nightly news.
    regularrf
  • regularrf, in the article he states that he is working on a hunger shield... With multinationals messing with all of our seeds, that is a smart thing, one of the smartest things I've heard out of him... If Monsanto et al continue on their food manipulation and monopolies, we are all in for some big trouble fairly soon! Especially in the U.S.
    jjmaster
  • chávez will clearly do whatever he pleases but, does venezuela really need to be spending billions of dollars on imported weapons when its poverty and homicide rates continue to rise? i can only imagine the anxiety that neighboring countries must be feeling over this -- arms purchases could potentially destroy any existing regional power balances or, worse, lead to an illegal arms trade across venezuela’s unprotected borders.
    orangeseverywhere
  • Thanks a lot azzhole Bush Admin for pushing Chavez in another corner, thus taking more funds away from the poor and into defense. BTW Chavez, you don't have to do this.
    tomofnorthcal
  • In today’s world arms race, it’s normal for him to want more weapons. What happened to Iraq and North Korea have proven the hypocrisy of the US foreign policy. Iraq did not have a nuke, they invaded, North Korea has one, and they negotiate.
    SurfingMonkey
  • http://current.com/items/89125463_chavez_may_hug_king_w...
    He's been quite the man in the news lately. He spoke out about Spain's king saying he'd quite like to give him a hug but that he won't shut up.

    See, there's plenty of love in politics...
    mattbrawn

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