Nicaragua seeking copters, coastal vessels from US, Russia

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is negotiating with Russia and the United States to acquire helicopters and coast guard vessels to modernize the country's military fleet as it fights drug smuggling, the government said Saturday. Ortega said he was approaching countries "with the ability to "support (us) in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime," according to a post on the official "19 de Julio" website. The Nicaraguan president said Russia had committed to providing "medium-range naval vessels but with sufficient autonomy to allow round-the-clock patrols in the Caribbean, the Pacific or the Gulf of Fonseca," which Nicaragua shares with Honduras and El Salvador.