Now, Venezuela Is Lining Up For Russian Helicopters

In a growing alliance aimed at "dealing" with the United States, Russia and Venezuela are developing closer ties that include Moscow's sale of military aviation hardware to Caraccas.

"The relationship between our two countries is now seeing a serious spurt," said Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel in an interview with the Moscow Times. Rangel has been in Russia for the past week, wheeling and dealing with the likes of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Security Council chief Igor Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

After meeting with Rangel, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Security Council chief Igor Ivanov, Rangel announced his country wants to buy up to 40 helicopters for military and civilian use. As ANN previously reported, Venezuela's air force has signed an agreement for 50 MiG-29s to compliment its arsenal of 22 US-built F-16s -- half of which are grounded by ongoing maintenance problems.

To put a point on their newfound chumminess, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who refused to travel to the US last month for the opening session of the UN General Assembly because his intelligence service had uncovered a "plot" by the CIA to destroy his aircraft en route, will travel to Moscow next month for a visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It's a budding alliance that has a lot of fans outside of the US. Even in Washington, it's winning some grudging respect in some think tank circles. "Russia is playing this very smart," said Frank Verrastro, director of energy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Reaching out to Venezuela is a smart move that gives Russia more leverage, stronger diplomatic ties and commercial arrangements."

"Russia can use closer relations with Chavez as a trump card, a leverage in pressuring the United States on a vast number of issues," said former Kremlin consultant Sergei Markov, in an interview with the Moscow Times. Among them, he said, were extradition of terrorists, entering the World Trade Organization and the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine. "The United States will negatively react [to closer ties between Putin and Chavez], but it will be very useful for Russia to once again emphasize its political independence."

FMI: www.csis.org