The Paraguayan government requested a bilateral meeting with Bolivian authorities on Saturday to discuss Bolivia’s recent announcement that it will purchase up to $100 million in military equipment with credit from Russia. The deal, which is reportedly for helicopters, airplanes and other military equipment, was announced on August 12 by Bolivian defense minister Walker San Miguel.

Bolivian officials have repeatedly contended that the arms purchases pose no threat to its neighbors, yet its decision to expand its military capacity has even caught the attention of the U.S. which last year tried to block a Bolivian arms purchase from the Czech Republic.  In response, the Morales administration responded to U.S. actions by expressing his intention to instead purchase similar equipment from Chinese or Brazilian suppliers.