“I told President (Dmitry) Medvedev that every time Russian strategic (planes) need to make a stop in Venezuela as part of strategic plans, Venezuela is ready to help,” Chavez said during a weekly Sunday broadcast.

He said the offer to use La Orchila’s airfield did not mean that the Russian military would build a base in Venezuela, which has tilted left since Chavez took power in 1998 and is expanding its relations with Moscow.

A Russian general said on Saturday that Russian strategic bombers on long-range flights also would be prepared to use four or five airfields in Cuba — another U.S. adversary.

Venezuela has bought billions of dollars in military equipment, such as AK-103 assault rifles, from Russia, purchases that the U.S. State Department has said could destabilize the Andean region.

Two Russian long-range bombers flew to Venezuela last year in a visit meant to show Moscow’s military strength and boost bilateral ties with the Chavez government, which describes the United States as a decadent empire.

Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez on Saturday, prior to an OPEC meeting in Vienna, said the two nations would propose a system of automatic cuts in the supply of oil to global markets to stabilize tumbling prices.

Russia, which is not a member of OPEC but sent observers to the meeting on Sunday, has boosted energy cooperation with oil-rich Venezuela in recent years.

(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Paul Simao)

MOSCA (Reuters) — Un generale russo ha detto oggi che il Venezuela ha offerto l’uso della pista di atterraggio sull’isola di La Orchila per i voli dei bombardieri strategici russi a lungo raggio.

La Russia è pronta a cementare le relazioni con un rivale degli Stati Uniti nell’emisfero occidentale, per contrastare l’influenza Usa nei paesi ex comunisti in Europa dell’Est e in Asia centrale.

“Se saranno prese certe decisioni politiche, è possibile (che i bombardieri russi usino la base)”, ha detto il generale maggiore dell’aeronautica strategica russa, Anatoly Zhikharev, citato dall’agenzia Interfax.

Zhikharev ha aggiunto che i bombardieri russi si preparano ad usare quattro o cinque basi aeree a Cuba, se le leadership politiche dei due paesi lo renderanno possibile.

Due bombardieri a lungo raggio russi sono atterrati lo scorso anno in Venezuela, per dimostrare la forza militare della Russia ed intensificare i legami con un avversario degli Stati Uniti.

Russia e Venezuela, entrambi grandi produttori di petrolio, stanno collaborando anche nel settore energetico.

Russia e Stati Uniti hanno promesso di approfittare del cambio di presidenza a Washington per “premere il tasto reset” nelle loro relazioni, ma la Russia contrasta con forza il piano Usa di un sistema anti– missilistico in Europa dell’Est.

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