Ecuador "packages" all military equipment purchased from Russia to send to the US, Moscow reacts

On January 24, the Ecuadorian government announced that the country will hand over Russian-made military equipment to the United States in exchange for new equipment and components from Washington.

Russian RM-70 missile launchers are also likely to be on the list of equipment that Ecuador will transfer to the US. (Source: TASS)

TASS quoted Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld as saying to the press that the South American country has been purchasing military equipment of Russian origin for many years.

However, these military equipment are old and no longer usable, so Ecuador has the right to deregister, liquidate or exchange them with a third party.

Meanwhile, Ecuador has signed an agreement with the United States to provide obsolete military equipment in exchange for more modern equipment.

Last week, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that his country would receive $200 million worth of modern military equipment from the United States after handing over to Washington equipment made in Russia and Ukraine.

Although Mr. Noboa did not specify what equipment Ecuador would hand over, the country's media cited government data showing that it could be 6 DM-21 missile launchers, 6 RM-70 missile launchers, 34 ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns purchased from Nicaragua in 1994, along with 6 Mi-171 helicopters that have been decommissioned since 2021.

The Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation immediately stated that Ecuador's transfer of Russian-made military equipment to a third party is a violation of international law and harms bilateral relations.

The agency said that Ecuador also violated Article 4 of the Agreement on Technical and Military Cooperation signed by the two governments in November 2008.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ecuador-goi-ghem-het-thiet-bi-quan-su-mua-cua-nga-de-gui-cho-my-moscow-phan-ung-258658.html