CARACAS (AFP)--Russian warships Tuesday wrapped up two days of joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy that were widely seen as a challenge by Moscow to traditional U.S. influence in Latin America.
The maneuvers took place in Venezuela's territorial waters in the Caribbean and involved a nuclear-powered cruiser, Peter the Great, and three other Russian ships, and three Venezuelan frigates.
It was the first time since the end of the Cold War that a Russian fleet has been in waters off Latin America.
Venezuelan state television VTV showed the combined flotilla, and said the Russian vessels would leave Venezuelan waters Tuesday for the return voyage home.
Russian and Venezuelan officials presented the exercise, called "VenRus 2008", as an important step in Caracas-Moscow ties.
The two countries plan further joint training operations, including one that would see Venezuelan military ships pairing with Russian ones in the North Sea.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose anti-U.S. stance has precluded him from acquiring U.S. weapons, has turned to Russia for deals worth $4.4 billion over the last three years, to supply him with radar equipment, 24 Sukhoi-30 planes, 50 helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles.
The United States dismissed the significance of the presence of the Russian ships, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying before the exercise that the presence of "a few Russian ships is not going to change the balance of power."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who made a trip to Venezuela last week just before the start of the joint exercise, said he wanted to restore "privileged relations" with Latin American countries that had close ties to the Soviet Union in the Cold War, when fierce superpower rivalry played out in the region.
However he denied the naval activities were designed to be an affront to the United States, describing them as not aimed at any third nation but rather focused on anti-terrorist and anti-narcotics operations.
-Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2008 17:24 ET (22:24 GMT)

Publié le 02 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones