"The Russians and the Venezuelans can engage in whatever cooperation that they would like. But it's curious, I'm not sure what Venezuela needs or gains by a visit by the Russian fleet," said spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"You would think that President Chavez would concentrate more on the problems that the people of Venezulea are having rather than inviting the fleet in for a port call," he said, adding that he could not confirm the invitation.

Chavez said during his weekly radio program on Sunday that Russian President Dimitri Medvedev wanted to send a Russian naval fleet to visit Venezuela.

"I told the president (Medvedev), 'If you're coming to the Caribbean, we'll welcome you,'" Chavez said, adding that the Russian naval fleet would pay "a friendly and working" visit to Venezuela.

Under the leftist Chavez, Venezuela has been seeking closer relations with Moscow, in part to buy military hardware, including 24 Russian Sukhoi fighter jets recently delivered, after Washington refused to supply spare parts for the F-16 jets it sold Venezuela in the 1980s.

Over the past few years, Venezuela and Russia have signed 4.0 billion dollars' worth of arms deals, including AK-47 automatic rifles and military helicopters.

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