US urges Latin American countries to ditch Russian weapons and donate them to Ukraine

THE United States is reportedly looking at a deal to facilitate the switch of Soviet and Russian weapons in Latin American countries to US weapons as a way to encourage them to send military equipment to Ukraine.

According to the head of the US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, the US asked six Latin American countries to ditch their Russian weapons and donate them to Ukraine.

The Voice of America reported that the US wants these countries to transfer their Soviet and Russian weapons to Ukraine and in return would be offered American military equipment in exchange.

“Russia has allies in [the governments of] Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, but six other countries in the region have Russian military equipment.

“The US is trying to persuade these six countries to donate Russian military equipment to Ukraine and replace it with American weapons,” the US military said at a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

General Richardson said that Russia, China, and “transnational criminal organisations” were the main reason weapons are in these countries, who are also seen as competitors in the military equipment market.

The news outlet also reported that in addition to Moscow’s main allies in Latin America – Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua – other countries, such as Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil, also have Russian or Soviet weapons.

“We are working to replace these Russian weapons with American ones if those countries want to transfer them to Ukraine,” General Richardson said.