By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced the receipt of 24 Russian Sukhoi fighter jets and warned the US that his country is ready to defend itself.
“We’ve received the 24 Sukhoi aircraft,” he said Sunday. “They’re for defensive purposes. We’re not going to attack anybody.”
The jets are part of a recent $4 billion deal with Moscow. Russia will also provide Sukhoi missiles to the Andean nation.
Chavez said the Sukhoi missiles have far greater range than those of the US F-16 fighter jet, and warned the US Fourth Fleet to keep out of Venezuelan waters.
“Any ship that sails into brown waters (river waters) will itself turn brown and go to the bottom, because they’ll not get through,” he said.
In 2005-2006, Venezuela signed a deal to buy more than 50 combat helicopters, 24 Su-30 MK2 fighters, 12 Tor-M1 air defence missile systems and 100,000 AK-103 rifles from Russia.
Chavez, an outspoken critic of Washington since coming to power nine years ago, has focused his foreign policy on bolstering ties with countries outside the US sphere of influence.