Russian military helicopter Mil-Mi-171, which is among the Russian-made military equipment that Ecuador has announced to hand over to the US. Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin.
The Russian government warned Ecuador about the negative consequences on bilateral relations if the Ecuadorian government transfers Russian-made military equipment to the United States. If transferred, the equipment would ultimately be sent from the United States to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for use against Russia.
In a press conference on Wednesday, February 7, the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that the transfer of military equipment “obtained within the framework of bilateral military-technical cooperation to third parties is inadmissible without the prior written consent of Russia.”
She pointed out that if Ecuador unilaterally transfers Russian military equipment to the US, “Ecuador would be in breach of its international obligations, which could have negative consequences for our future bilateral cooperation.”
Rusia advierte a Ecuador por envío de material militar ruso a EE.UU.
Rusia ha emitido una advertencia formal a Ecuador sobre la transferencia de material militar ruso a EE.UU., lo cual podría violar obligaciones internacionales y afectar las relaciones bilaterales pic.twitter.com/0wGyejiC8L
— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) February 7, 2024
Zakharova added that Ecuador’s decision to hand over to the US old Russian-made military equipment is hasty, and it originates from “strong external pressures.”
“Our [Ecuadorian] partners are perfectly aware of the contractual clauses, including the obligation to use the supplied goods for the declared purposes and not to transfer them to third parties without the consent of the Russian side,” said Zakharova.
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On January 10, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that he accepted the US offer to exchange old Soviet military equipment for new US armaments of an estimated value of some $200 million.
In response, Russia decided to suspend banana imports from five Ecuadorian companies.
This prohibition affects 25% of Ecuador’s total exports of the fruit, as Russia is the main destination of Ecuadorian bananas.
Former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, wrote on X that Russia’s reaction is expected.
EEUU confirma que armas son para Ucrania y, por ende, son equipo militar operativo, aunque para eludir la ley dijeron que era chatarra.
Es decir, el Gobierno de Noboa enviando armamento ruso a Ucrania para que maten rusos, y esperaban que Rusia no reaccione🤦🏻 pic.twitter.com/vhzl5BnDkS— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) February 8, 2024
“The US confirms that the weapons are for Ukraine and, therefore, are operational military equipment, although to circumvent the law they [Ecuadorian government] said that it was scrap,” Correa wrotr on Twitter. “In other words, Noboa’s government is sending Russian weapons to Ukraine to kill Russians, and was expecting Russia not to react.”
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
