No one should be too surprised by the exceptionally warm welcome given to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during his recent visit to Moscow – these developments have been long in the making, and closely observed with appropriate concern (the European Commission circulated a paper on Russia’s activism in Latin America back in 2006). The fact that the Kremlin has solidified its alliance with another authoritarian oil exporter, and stapled down significant deals in terms of arms ($5 billion over the next decade), energy (including a joint venture between PDVSA and Gazprom), and banking, is just the latest expression of Moscow’s successful campaign to assume a greater role in global affairs. But what is left unclear from Chavez’s first meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is who is getting what out of the relationship, and whether the motives driving this policy of strategic partnership are being transparently understood. If we take a closer look at the regional ambitions of each country, we can see that the perceptions of this relationship by Washington and Brussels are almost more important than the actual substance of the Venezuelan-Russian strategic partnership. However each leader appears to want to spin it differently, which raises some conflicts. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez attempt to coordinate their comments during a press conference on July 22. Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Nemenov/Pool (RUSSIA)