Russia reacts to Ecuador over equipment

A response has come from Russia following Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's announcement last month regarding the decision to transfer Russian equipment in their possession to the US. In a statement made during a press conference today, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova reminded that Russian equipment cannot be transferred to the US without their permission and that there are contracts in place regarding this. 

Zakharova stated, "Our partners are aware of the contractual provisions, including the obligation to use the provided assets for the stated purposes and not to transfer them to third parties without Russia's consent."

Reacting to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's characterization of the Russian military equipment they possess as "scrap," Zakharova said, "If the Russian equipment were scrap as Ecuador claims, Washington would not have offered them high-cost modern equipment in exchange. We hope Ecuador is aware of this."

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa had described the Russian equipment in their possession as "scrap" in a statement he made last month. Noboa also stated that he would accept an offer from Washington to swap the Russian equipment for advanced US equipment worth 200 million dollars.