Re: "A third country might offer a new couch"
"Perhaps the offer was more literal. His current couch must be pretty worn out and stinky by now so maybe the Ecuadorian embassy is crowdfunding a replacement having spunked their own housekeeping budget on tissues and air fresheners".
Wouldn't it be ironic if the Swedes sent them an Ikea couch, as a not-so-subtle reminder to little Julian ?