Russia has struck a deal worth more than $1 billion to supply fighter jets and helicopters to Venezuela, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Friday.
“The contract was concluded ... for the delivery of 30 Su-30 fighter aircraft and the delivery of the same number of helicopters,” state-owned Rossiya television showed Ivanov saying.
“The contract is for a sum in excess of one billion (dollars),” Ivanov added. The two sides announced weeks ago that they were working on the contract.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is buying the high-performance Sukhoi fighter jets to replace his government’s F-16 jets. Washington, D.C. has banned U.S. arms manufacturers from selling to Chavez, saying he is a dangerous autocrat.
The United States has asked Moscow to reconsider the aircraft contract.
Former soldier Chavez says he is preparing his armed forces for a U.S. invasion. He has already taken delivery of a big consignment of Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifles.
The Venezuelan leader is due in Moscow at the end of July on a tour that will also take in Argentina, Belarus, Iran, Mali, Qatar and Vietnam.
