Russian arms exports to Venezuela may total as much as USD 5 billion, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday, according to Russian news agencies.

Putin visited Venezuela last week and pledged to sell more weapons to the country, but he provided no specific figures.

Russian news agencies quoted Prime Minister Putin as saying that the new arms deals may exceed USD 5 billion, reported AP.

On Friday, Russia agreed to lend Venezuela up to USD 2.2 billion for new arms deals.

Hugo Chávez's government has already bought more than USD 4 billion in Russian weapons since 2005, including helicopters, fighter jets and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles.

The Venezuelan arms deals are one of the many issues that have hindered relations between US and Russia.

Source: ElUniversal.com