Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is travelling to the southern Russian city of Orenburg for talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.

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The two presidents have spoken of their opposition to US global dominance.

Russia withdrew from Latin America when the Soviet Union collapsed but there are now signs of a new Russian assertiveness in the region.

Russia and Venezuela are already closely co-operating in the defence and energy spheres.

Venezuela is one of the best customers of the Russian defence industry, with signed contracts promising to bring Russia more than $4bn (£2.17bn) in weapons sales.

'Multipolar world'

But it is the political dimensions of the relationship that lead many analysts to ask whether Russia is now actively trying to create a counterbalance to American influence, starting in South America.

President Medvedev has echoed his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, in calling for what he terms a "multipolar world".

Yet it is often forgotten that Mr Putin actually oversaw Russia's final military withdrawal from the southern American region, when he closed an electronic listening base in Cuba in 2002.

Now, a much more assertive Russia appears to be probing for ways of organising a return to the region.

Two long-range Russian strategic bombers recently visited Venezuela and Russian warships are currently en route to the Caribbean Sea for joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy.

One of the most curious elements of the new relationship between Russia and Venezuela is the man apparently running it from the Russian side.

Igor Sechin is a deputy prime minister, one of Vladimir Putin's closest associates, and strongly anti-American.

He is widely thought to have worked for Soviet intelligence in African satellite states in the 1980s.

Mr Sechin has been the most visible face in Russia's recent contacts with the equally anti-American president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.

(BBC)

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