and senior Foreign Office officials were "locked in discussions over the fate of Assange."

In addition, RT, the Russian news outlet, quoted unidentified sources as saying Ecuador is ready to hand over Assange to the British authorities "in coming weeks or even days."

Glen Greenwald, editor of the The Intercept, reported Saturday that he expects Moreno to finalize an agreement with British authorities during his trip to London on Friday ostensibly for a world disabilities summit. Greenwald said Moreno also notably plans to travel to Madrid during his trip.

Greenwald quoted an unidentified source close to the Ecuadoran Foreign Ministry and the president's office as confirming that Moreno is close to a deal as early as this week.

Greenwald, former reporter for The Guardian, is a journalist and author who writes extensivelyabout national security issues. He published a series of articles about U.S. and British global surveillance programs based in part on classified documents disclosed by Edward Snowden, a one-time U.S. contractor for the National Security Agency, who fled the country and found refuge in Russia.