Russia has displaced the US as main supplier of arms to Latin American countries.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies has revealed that Russia in 2009 became the region’s main exporter of weapons, especially to Venezuela, Brazil and Peru.

Aircraft, tanks and missiles were the main purchases with Russia now also involved in military agreements with Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

But two of the countries with the largest defence budgets, Colombia and Mexico, have remained faithful to US military arms.

Russian sales to the region last year totalled US$5.4 billion dollars.