The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Jakarta

Russia and Indonesia signed a $1 billion defense deal Thursday that will allow Indonesia to buy dozens of helicopters, tanks and submarines - part of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to boost his country's military clout in Asia.

The two nations, which together have nearly 380 million people, also sent a pointed message to the United States: They oppose Washington on many key international issues, including the war in Iraq.

Putin, making a one-day stopover in Indonesia, gave the cash-strapped government a $1 billion loan for military hardware that can be paid back over the next 15 years.

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, who will buy 20 tanks, 15 helicopters, and two Kilo-class submarines, said he was happy to be able to "reduce dependence on the United States," once the country's largest supplier of weaponry. Too often, he said, Washington links military aid to human rights issues.

Putin's visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation was the first by a Russian - or Soviet - leader since Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev in 1960.

It comes amid chilling U.S.-Russia relations. The United States has criticized Russia's democracy record, while Moscow distrusts Washington's influence in global politics and has courted allies with similar deals.