Russian FM spox: Ecuador caving in to US demands is rash
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The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson describes Ecaudor's decision as a rash one and other Russian officials believe that the country has broken its neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova gestures during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova has stated that Ecuador has made a “rash decision” by caving in to US demands for its old military equipment.
This follows Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's announcement on Tuesday that his country will give the US outdated Russia-made military equipment despite Moscow’s disapproval, alleging that the equipment is not war material, but rather “scrap," hence according to his statement, the latter does not violate international agreements as these agreements only apply to military hardware.
However, according to a previous statement from Naboa, the US is exchanging the "scrap" Russian and Ukranian hardware for US-made equipment worth $200 million.
Zakharova, speaking with the Russian daily Izvestia, dismissed this notion today stating, “Our partners are well aware of the provisions of the contracts, including the obligation to use the supplied property for the stated purposes only and not transfer it to a third party without obtaining the appropriate agreement from the Russian side,” describing Ecuador's decision as "a rash decision… under serious pressure from outside stakeholders." She argued that the US would not have offered to replace the equipment if it was actually "scrap".
An 'unfriendly move'
Last month, Russia’s ambassador to Ecuador, Vladimir Sprinchan, warned that Moscow would consider weapons deliveries to the US as an “unfriendly move.”
Viktor Bondarev, the first deputy chairman of the Russian Senate Defense Committee, stated that by providing the US with weapons, Ecuador would breach its neutral status in the Ukraine conflict. He explained that even if the hardware is not operational, it will eventually find its way to Kiev to be used for spare parts.
“We are working with the countries that have the Russian equipment to either donate it or switch it out for United States equipment,” General Laura Richardson, the commander of the US Southern Command, stated last year acknowledging that the US has been scouring for Soviet-era weapons in many parts of the world, including Central and South America and the Caribbean.
