 | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
 | | |
|
|
|
Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
CARACAS (Reuters) - Several Russian ships and 1,000 soldiers will take part in joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea later this year, exercises likely to increase diplomatic tensions with Washington, a pro-government newspaper reported on Saturday.
Quoting Venezuela's naval intelligence director, Salbarore Cammarata, the newspaper Vea said four Russian boats would visit Venezuelan waters from November 10 to 14.
Plans for the naval operations come at a time of heightened diplomatic tension and Cold War-style rhetoric between Moscow and the United States over the recent war in Georgia and plans for a U.S. missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland.
Cammarata said it would be the first time Russia's navy carried out such exercises in Latin America. He said the Venezuelan air force would also take part.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of Washington, has said in recent weeks that Russian ships and planes are welcome to visit the South American country.
"If the Russian long-distance planes that fly around the world need to land at some Venezuelan landing strip, they are welcome, we have no problems," he said on his weekly television show last week.
Chavez, who buys billions of dollars of weapons from Russia, has criticized this year's reactivation of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet, which will patrol Latin America for the first time in over 50 years.
The socialist Chavez says he fears the United States will invade oil-rich Venezuela and he supports Russia's growing geopolitical presence as a counterbalance to U.S. power.
Chavez has bought fighter jets and submarines from Russia to retool Venezuela's aging weapons and says he is also interested in a missile defense system.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
Undoubtedly this is Russia's response to the United States having a number of war ships in the Black Sea providing aid to Georgia.
Things are getting intense. Next thing you know we'll have PSA's on TV again about nuclear fallout. It'll be like I'm in the 80's again. Ugh...
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
Didn't Russia and China do the same thing like a year ago, doing mockups against the US
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
Probably, war games isn't really the big issue, it's the friendliness of Russia with folks in South America and Cuba. They can harass our allies. The thing about China, is that China doesn't have a blue water navy. So they can't do very much to us. Their nuclear missiles aren't solid fuel either, so we can see them fueling them on launchpads and we can turn their country into a parking lot before they ever fire one off.
Venezuela on the other hand borders nations that are friends with the United States. And in order to protect them, we need to be proactive, otherwise you get into a situation where these smaller nations start building up arms and invade each other, creating an unstable disaster. I mean, really, South American has been relatively peaceful for the past twenty years. It'd be nice to keep it that way.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
It's nice to see Russia in the headlines again. It reminds me of the old days.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Re: Venezuela to host Russia navy exercise in Caribbean
|
|
|
Bolivia and Venezuela.
That and the North Koreans are building a new long range missile base, and the Iranians announced they have 4,000 centrifuges online. Splendid.
|
|
|
|
| |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|