In an analysis for the RIA Novosti agency, Murtazin said Russia had
expected Qaddafi to sign contracts worth up to $4.5 billion during his
three-day visit to Russia. The Russian analyst said Moscow offered Libya the
most advanced weaponry, much of it still unavailable to the Russian
military.
"Analysts are worried that no official statements on the signing of
Russian-Libyan documents were made in Moscow, while Belarus has signed
agreements," Murtazin said.
Industry sources said Putin, in particular, was dismayed over Qaddafi's
refusal to sign weapons contracts with Moscow. They said Putin, who agreed
to write off Libya's $4.5 billion debt, met Qaddafi in Tripoli in April
2008, and the two leaders agreed to promote defense and energy cooperation.
"Everything is moving very slowly, much too slowly for Putin," a defense
source said.
During Qaddafi's visit to Moscow, the Libyan leader was shown the Su-35
multi-role fighter, the T-90 MBT, the S-300PMU2 air defense system and the
Ka-50-2 attack helicopter. No deals were announced.
But Qaddafi was said to have negotiated for Soviet-era S-300 platforms
in Belarus and Ukraine. The sources said both Kiev and Minsk offered the
platforms at a much cheaper price than Moscow.
