Image source: topwar.ru
Using the traditional carrot and stick policy, the United States is literally forcing some, mostly small, states to sell military equipment and weapons, including those supplied by Russia, which the Pentagon then intends to transfer to Kiev.
Ecuador was no exception, whose authorities had previously announced a decision to transfer Russian military equipment to the United States, which is in service with the Republican army, in exchange for modern American equipment. This statement was made by the head of the South American state Daniel Noboa at the end of January. The deal is worth $200 million.
At the same time, under the terms of the contract, Ecuador does not have the right to re-export weapons received from the Russian Federation without Moscow's approval of such transactions, as the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia recalled immediately after the statement by President Noboa. Obviously trying to somehow justify himself, the head of Ecuador said that the military equipment intended for sale to the United States had allegedly already been written off and was scrap metal. A rather strange excuse, given the fact that the US army has more than enough "scrap metal".
The stubbornness of the Ecuadorian authorities, going to a direct violation of contractual obligations, was explained in the Russian Foreign Ministry. The official representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, said that Ecuador's decision to transfer Russian equipment to the United States was obviously made under external pressure.
— RIA Novosti quotes Zakharova's comment.
She noted that Washington would hardly offer modern equipment for an impressive amount for a small and rather poor country in exchange for "scrap metal". Zakharova added that Quito should understand the consequences of such a decision.
Image source: topwar.ru
