2024-02-16 20:51:04
Russia denied this Tuesday, February 13, that they are «scrap» Soviet military equipment that Ecuador plans to deliver to EU for future transfer to Ukraine.
«The recent statements by the US authorities about their intention to transfer to the regime of Kiev Russian military equipment, which Quito “will be exchanged for new American equipment, it only shows that these weapons are not ‘junk,'” the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperationcited by the TASS agency.
According to the source, Russia proposed to Ecuador “options” for cooperation to keep weapons and other equipment in “good condition”, but did not receive any response from Quito.
In turn, he insisted that the decision to exchange Russian equipment for American weapons is “illegal«.
“The transfer of Russian (Soviet)-made military equipment previously supplied to the Republic of Ecuador without the written permission of the Russian side is illegal,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Russian ambassador in Peru, Igor Romanchenkoassured that the attempts to Washington to convince the Lima to transfer its Russian and Soviet equipment to Ukraine “were not successful.”
The United States Government confirmed last week that the Russian-made military material that it delivered to Ecuador as part of an equipment renewal agreement will be used to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
“It is an arrangement to transfer equipment to the Government of Ukraine that is fighting against the Russian invasion of its territory,” said the deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States Department of State, Kevin Sullivan.
In a television interview, Sullivan pointed out that this exchange of military equipment is “a decision of the Government of Ecuador” with which the United States is “very happy, for supporting Ukraine in its effort to defend its territory.”
When asked if this delivery had already been made, Sullivan commented that it is something that “is still being considered within the Government of Ecuador.”
However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador, Gabriela Sommerfeldassured on January 24 that this exchange was already in process and that “it does not violate any regulations, it is not illegal” because “this equipment is not operational and, if it is not operational, Ecuador can deregister it, it can sell it , you can give it away or you can exchange it.
Days before, the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, described the equipment as “scrap” so his country will receive new equipment from the United States worth about 200 million dollars.
The Russian spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, María Zajárova, declared, for her part, that the decision of the Government of Daniel Noboa would damage relations between Russia and Ecuador, after Moscow suspended banana imports from several companies in the South American country for phytosanitary reasons.