Chavez said in Kyiv on Monday while visiting the Antonov Company, when asked by Interfax whether Caracas could buy the S-300 missile systems which Russia earlier planned to deliver to Iran.

Russia is Venezuela's reliable partner in military-technical cooperation, Chavez said.

The Venezuelan president highly appraised the results of his visit to Moscow and talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.

He said his visit to Ukraine was part of a tour of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine with a visit to Iran. "I will share a meal with the Iranian president in the evening today," he said.

Venezuela is Latin America's fifth largest spender on defense. Russia is its leading partner in arms trade. According to Russian experts, Russia exported $3.051 billion in arms to Venezuela in 2003-09, or 77.5% of Venezuela's arms purchases over this period.

"The order portfolio for 2010-13 is estimated at $3.402 billon, or 65.8% of Venezuela's arms imports.

According to some media reports, the contract for the delivery of Russian S-300 missile systems to Iran was signed in 2007 and envisioned the shipment of five S-300 PMU-1 batteries worth about $900 million.

In June the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran following Iran's refusal to curtail uranium enrichment.

President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree after the UN resolution was passed, banning deliveries to Iran, including the delivery of S-300 missile systems.

Source: kyivpost.com