The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Moscow

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, kicking off a European tour with a two-day visit to Russia expected to focus on arms purchases and tightening ties with the Kremlin.

An outspoken critic of the United States, Chavez was to meet with both Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whose foreign policy has been increasingly frosty toward Washington in recent years.

"Russia and Venezuela must become strategic allies in the oil sphere and in military-technical cooperation," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chavez as saying upon arrival. "This will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela, because we are now threatened by the United States," he added. Chavez was greeted by officials after his plane landed three hours late, an AFP journalist at Moscow's Vnukovo airport said. His visit to Russia is the first leg of a European tour that will take in Belarus, Portugal and Spain. Chavez was originally due to arrive on Monday but the visit was postponed by one day.