Ecuador to transfer old Russian weapons to US despite Moscow's protest

Ecuador will transfer Russian military equipment to Washington in exchange for new equipment, President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa said.

Moscow earlier expressed its protest to Ecuador in connection with the intention to transfer old Russian military hardware fo the Latin American nation. However, Ecuador disregarded Russia's protest.

The Russian authorities believe that it goes about military hardware, but Ecuador proved that it was just scrap metal.

"Within the framework of international agreements, military equipment cannot be transferred, but such scrap metal can be," President of Ecuador said.

At the same time, Ecuador will not sever relations with Russia, Noboa added. He called Moscow's position "not entirely adequate” as Ecuador was going through large-scale unrest.

"If they want to help us, God grant that they do it,” he concluded.

Russia calls equipment transfer unfriendly step

In early January, Noboa announced that Ecuador would transfer old Russian and Ukrainian equipment to the United States in exchange for new equipment worth a total of $200 million.

Russian Ambassador Vladimir Sprinchan said that Moscow would see such a move as an unfriendly step.

Sending the equipment to the US would be equal to a contribution to the Ukrainian conflict, Sprinchan said pointing out that Ecuador positioned itself as a neutral party to the conflict in Ukraine.

US wants Latin America to transfer weapons to Ukraine

On January 19, the head of the US Southern Command General Laura Richardson said that Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and six other countries still had Russian weapons. The American authorities are ready to exchange them for their own if Latin American countries agreed to help Ukraine.

Kremlin official Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would closely monitor US attempts to convince Latin American countries to transfer weapons to Kyiv. According to him, it is necessary to keep in mind legal restrictions on any supplies to third countries.