Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has left Venezuela after signing a nuclear energy deal and visiting 'VenRus 2008'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has left Venezuela for Cuba after signing a nuclear energy deal and visiting Russian warships here, sending a defiant message from the US backyard. Mr Medvedev was due to meet Cuban President Raul Castro later today and visit a new Russian-Orthodox cathedral in Havana, on the last stop in a four-nation trip. The Russian leader's Latin America tour sought to boost Cold War-era ties with left-leaning countries and was seen as a rebuff to US moves in formally Communist-ruled parts of Europe, such as planned missile defence facilities. Mr Medvedev and strong US-critic Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez today toured the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and signed a pre-accord for the sale of two Russian passenger planes aboard the ship. The two leaders vowed closer cooperation to establish what they called a 'multi-polar' world after signing a string of deals the previous night, including on a project to build a joint nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes. Officials also signed a deal on cooperation in the fossil fuel sector, aimed at stepping up existing exploration projects in Venezuela by companies such as Russian energy giant Gazprom. Although Russia and Venezuela signed no new arms deals, Mr Medvedev defended Russia's growing arms sales to Venezuela - criticised by the United States and neighbour Colombia as potentially destabilising - and said military cooperation with firebrand leftist Mr Chavez would continue. The warship manoeuvres, dubbed 'VenRus 2008' and including some 1600 Russian forces and 700 Venezuelans, are due to take place between December 1 and 3."