Posted on 07/26/2006 11:50:32 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hailed Russia on Wednesday for defying a U.S. arms blockade by agreeing to sell fighter aircraft to his country.
Chavez will sign a $1 billion deal to buy at least 24 Russian Sukhoi-30 jets to replace oil-rich Venezuela's U.S. F-16s. Russia has also said it is ready to sell a similar number of military helicopters to Venezuela.
"I would like to thank Russia, the producer of armaments, because Russia has helped to sever the blockade that was tied by the United States around Venezuela," Chavez said in the city of Izhevsk in remarks reported in Russian by Interfax news agency.
"American imperialism wants to hold the world in its fist, but it will not succeed in this," he said, according to Itar-Tass news agency, during an earlier stop in Volgograd.
Chavez, who says he is preparing his armed forces to fend off a U.S. invasion, is set to cement growing ties with President Vladimir Putin at a Kremlin meeting on Thursday.
Washington has banned U.S. arms manufacturers from selling to Chavez. The United States says the populist leader, who proclaims socialist ideals to unite South America against U.S. influence, is destabilizing the region.
U.S. officials hoped to talk Russia out of the arms deals. But senior Kremlin officials say they see no reason to take advice from the United States.
"NOT HELPFUL"
"We've repeatedly talked to the Russian government that the arms purchases planned by Venezuela exceeded its defensive needs and are not helpful in terms of regional stability," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters, according to a transcript of comments.
"We have, as you know, expressed our concern to the Russian government about this and we've urged them to reconsider the sale. So we'll just have to see."
A former soldier, Chavez actively courts Washington's foes such as Cuba and Iran, a country he will also visit on his two-week world tour.
Chavez visited a firing range in Izhevsk and was shown on Russian television embracing Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle, who lives there.
Chavez said agreements would be signed to build plants in Venezuela to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles and ammunition. Venezuela recently bought 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles as well as Russian attack and transport helicopters.
"There is a revolution going on in Venezuela at the moment and to make it with old weapons is difficult -- we must be strong," Chavez said.
Chavez said Russia -- the world's biggest natural gas producer and second largest oil exporter -- was ready to help build a steel pipe factory for a 8,000-km Latin American gas pipeline. Venezuela is the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Chavez arrived in Russia on Tuesday and, in the city of Volgograd, he paid homage to a statue of revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin.
I suspect that this is not making Russia very popular among Venezuela's neighbors, though.
Yo Chavez. You do realize you are wasting billions buying 20 year old Russian junk that will last about 15 second if the US ever decides to squish you like the toad you are?
Someone needs an ego check. When the U.S. finally decides that he isn't needed down there, he's gone....enjoy your freedom of speach HUGO.
Isn't Chavez's 15 minutes up? Time to whack him while everyone is focused on Lebanon and NK. It could be a week or two before the NYT even realizes its friend has been replaced by a crater.
The Sukhoi 30s are pretty nice aircraft, but you're right - a fleet of 24 Sukhois in the hands of what will be a poorly trained, poorly coordinated and managed air force won't last very long against our current crop of fighters in our Air Force. And against our F-22s, those Sukhois wouldn't even be a challenge.
But the real superiority of our Air Force is such that we can send our F-16s with an AWACS and defeat the Sukhois with relative ease. We probably won't even have to engage the Sukhois in a dogfight, which is where the Sukhois will have held an edge, and our AWACS advantage would've been decreased.
Thus, the new fleet of aircraft for Venezuela is targeted at regional dominance and parades/air shows.
No doubt. When has Russian equipment EVER bettered American equipment other than with the AK-47? Yeah, ask the Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis about those high quality Russian tanks. LOL.
$1 billion would have paid for a lot of food for his starving Venezuelans :(
Yeah, as long as the Russkies have to keep copying or stealing from us, they will always be a step or two behind(even though the Sukhois are pretty nice aircraft).
Mr. Chavez is loco. But, he's good at it!
Is it always snowing in Moscow ?
Time to invoke the Monroe Doctrine and blockade Venezuela. No weapons in no oil out!
right... buying crap weapons.... although the rifles are nothing more than to keep his people in line...
i think we're going to have to deal with this basta*d for awhile.
of course jimmy carter said elections were fair....
What will be interesting is to see if Castro leaves Cuba to Chavez in his will. Even if he doesn't, I'm betting that Chavez will try to interject himself into Cuban politics. It'll be interesting to see if that becomes his undoing.
I think most Cubans are probably looking forward to Castro's death. I doubt they will be happy to learn that Chavez is his successor.
Jimmah Cahtah never met a two-bit thug he didn't like.
Thanks, Hugo -- sounds like some fun target practice for our guys. Your new "air force" will last about 5 minutes if we ever need to get it on with you, Chavez.
I have a feeling that he is about to start invading other nations down there to "spread" his vision.
Putin is "pootin" around again!I am sure Russia has been in bed the whole time with Iran and is trying to restart cold war troubles with America.Putin is destroying Russia.
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