“There is a clear guideline from President (Daniel) Noboa not to send war material to a country that is maintaining an international armed conflict,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility explained this Monday before a commission of the National Assembly (Parliament).

Sommerfeld affirmed that Ecuador is part of the United Nations Security Council and supports the peaceful resolution of disputes with respect for international law.

Last December, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that his country planned to exchange obsolete, “scrap” equipment with Washington for new generation devices valued at 200 million dollars.

Then, on February 8, Kevin Sullivan, deputy secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the US State Department, assured that this delivery was part of “an arrangement” to transfer military equipment to Ukraine.

Russia clarified that by sending the equipment to Washington, Ecuador would violate its international obligations and that would have negative consequences for the bilateral relationship.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, the provisions of the contracts specify that the equipment should not be transferred to third parties without Moscow’s consent.

Last Friday local media echoed statements by the Russian ambassador to Ecuador, Vladimir Sprinchan, who announced that Quito had given up on the transfer of weapons.

The decision to backtrack and cancel the shipment to the United States occurred shortly after Russia lifted the veto on banana imports from five Ecuadorian companies suspended due to the presence of the ‘humpback fly’ plague in shipments.

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