Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez meets Russian head of state Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss the Middle East conflict, Iran's nuclear enrichment and possible construction of a new pipeline in South America.
Talks on the last day of his visit to Russia will also cover a deal for 30 Russian fighter jets and 30 helicopters worth $1 billion to replace American fighters in the service of Venezuelan forces. The second day of his trip began in the city of Izhevsk, capital of Udmurtia republic, visiting a factory producing Kalashnikov rifles. Venezuela bought 100,000 of these arms in a recent deal. But military trade was not the main thrust of the visit, Chavez told regional representatives. Energy and oil deals between the two countries needed advancing, he said.