BUENOS AIRES, December 29. /TASS/. Moscow expects that Buenos Aires will refrain from sending military equipment to Kiev following the coming to power of President Javier Milei, Russian Ambassador to Argentina Dmitry Feoktistov said.

"Argentina has always maintained the principled position that it will not deliver weapons and military equipment to conflict zones, particularly Ukraine," he told reporters. According to the envoy, a message has been sent to Argentina's new government about "the importance of pursuing the same policy in the future."

The Noticias Urbanas news portal reported in mid-December that Argentina’s new government planned to hand two Mi-171E helicopters purchased from Russia over to Ukraine. The helicopters were earlier involved in Argentina's Antarctic missions, the envoy noted. "They are now non-operational and require major repairs, but it doesn’t change the fact that we strongly object to their handover to Russia’s opponents," he added.

US Southern Command Commander General Laura Richardson said in January 2023 that the US was working with the Latin American countries that had Russian-made equipment "to either donate it or switch it out for United States equipment." Then Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez stated that neither his country nor other Latin American nations planned to send weapons to Ukraine or other conflict zones.