Putin's billion-dollar arms sale risks souring Western détente

[cal04]

HUGO CHÁVEZ, the ardently anti-American President of Venezuela, arrives in Russia today to sign a billion-dollar arms deal that has infuriated and alarmed the US.

The self-styled leftist revolutionary will sign an agreement with President Putin to buy 30 Sukhoi Su30 fighter jets and 30 military helicopters worth $1 billion (£540 million).

The two leaders will also discuss plans to build two Kalashnikov factories in Venezuela — to add to the 100,000 Kalashnikov AK103 assault rifles that Venezuela has bought from Russia in the past year. The arms deals — and the visit by Señor Chávez — are the latest evidence of Mr Putin’s drive to re-establish Russia as a counterbalance to the West in international affairs.

But they threaten to sour relations with Washington only a week after Mr Putin and President Bush reaffirmed publicly their friendship at the G8 summit in St Petersburg. The US has repeatedly asked Russia to reconsider its arms sales to Venezuela, which the State Department says does not co-operate in the war against terrorism.

more
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2283673,00.html

[HuffleClaw]

1. bwahhhahahaa... go putin go!!! go chavez go!!!

bush and his minions will be having kittens over this. i love this quote, 'they threaten to sour relations...' hmmmm seems to me it was BushCo. that was doing its best to insult and talk down to the russians.

[Vincardog]

2. ardently anti-USA President of Venezuela has been elected 5 Times.

How can he be anti-American? He is an American. Take that you NeoConvicts.

[Robbien]

3. The friendly relationship was soured the second the cameras

were turned off. With Bush blocking Russia's admission into the WTO, I would say Putin has no warm fuzzy feelings for the US.

[ugarte]

4. Oh, no, that bastard Putin selling arms under our noses

[goforit]

11. Oh the irony! Great picture.

[samsingh]

5. haven't bush and his criminal administration

already soured relations with everyone in the world- not just Russia?

[Sadie5]

6. Putin seems like he could care less

if * likes his deals. I think he has disliked * from the git go. Everything the US has done since the impostor was placed in office has seemed to go sour.

[samsingh]

9. it must have something to do with being a former super-power

and having the world's 2nd largest oil resources and alot of other hi-tech industry.

[Sequoia]

16. I'm amazed at the self-control other leaders have when it comes

to dealing with Baby Boy *. The photos of their expressions with him seem like they'd rather tell him to go for a time-out and let the adults deal with the situation.

[truthisfreedom]

7. whatever happened to ol' pooty-poot poot? did widdow bushie woose his best

fwend? aww.

[TheLastMohican]

8. Fear the capitalist Russia not the communist one

Once Russia gets very capitalistic in its indeavors it will be very hard for the repugs to find a moral ground to continue the Cold War and "evil empire" thing.
Venezuela used to have US equipment and it was denied the spare parts and new purchases. They just turned for a better deal on their money. Don't you just love free market, Condi?

[lonestarnot]

10. Rugh Roe, bushitler does it again.

[leesa]

12. I thought we loved free trade and capitalism and war toys and all that

stuff....

[MrPrax]

13. This makes baby jesus cry...

The neo-con warmongering press makes Baby Jesus cry.

So let's grab the remote and change the channel to another news service, before the neighbors call social services shall we:

Chavez in Russia for arms deals

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is visiting Russia, where he is expected to sign deals to buy new fighter jets and helicopters.

He will visit Volgograd - formerly Stalingrad - on Tuesday, and later the Urals town of Izhevsk, where Kalashnikov assault rifles are made.

The US has tried to persuade Russia not to supply weapons to Venezuela.

Mr Chavez is visiting several countries, lobbying for a Venezuelan seat on the UN Security Council.

On Monday he signed a series of co-operation agreements with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, covering topics such as technology, energy and agriculture.

BBC

(posted in the other LBN thread)

Now that a little better -- real journalism -- without all the little nasty bits and this story is actually about Chavez's trip to Russia and not what 'experts' in the US state department generally think of Chavez, which we already know...

In fact, this BBC story has so much 'neutral' information that even a Pro-Chavez type can comment negatively about whether or not Chevaz should be cultivating relations with scumbags like Lukashenko who don't in anyway shape or form support Chavez style reforms.

However in the Times story, we find the only reference to this being:

In Belarus yesterday, he proposed forming a “combat team” with President Lukashenko, whom Washington calls “Europe’s last dictator”.

Which makes it difficult for anyone to honestly comment upon other than 'experts' in the US state department

[bemildred]

14. What detente? There is no detente. There has been no detente.

Russia decided they didn't want to play the role of our global enemy anymore, but thats about it.

[TheMirrorMan]

15. That should be our billion dollars

not Russia's.

The admin screwed the pooch on this one - just because Hugo is a loud, obnoxious saber-rattler playing politics doesn't mean his money isn't good enough for piddly arms and planes.