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Moscow: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow on Tuesday and was quoted as calling for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect his South American country from the US.
"That way we can guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is now threatened by the United States," Chavez was quoted by several Russian news agencies as saying.
Russian media also have widely reported that Chavez is expected to reach a number of agreements for purchasing Russian military hardware while in Moscow, with one paper reporting the deals could be worth up to US$2 billion.
The maverick South American leader was scheduled to meet for the first time with Dmitry Medvedev since he became Russia's president in May.
Chavez also will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian military and business leaders, Chavez spokesman Tomas Ramirez said on Monday.
Venezuela has a defence budget of US$2.6 billion, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Chavez also wants to discuss the possibility of creating a joint bank and investment vehicle with Russia, the ITAR-Tass agency reported.
In addition, the two sides are expected to discuss energy deals, Venezuela's state agency reported, including expanding activities of Russia's Lukoil with Venezuela's state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
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