Ecuador not to supply Ukraine with outdated Russian military equipment
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Ecuador retracts previous statements and decides not to militarily take part in the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
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Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld talks to the press about international cooperation on security in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, January 24, 2024. (AP)
Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld announced on Monday that her country will not be supplying Ukraine with outdated Russian artillery, retracting Ecuador's previous commitments.
Sommerfeld spoke to lawmakers and affirmed that Ecuador is actively pursuing a peaceful resolution for the Ukrainian-Russian war that corresponds with the tenets of international law. In her statement, she revealed, "Ecuador will not send any war material to a country that is involved in an international armed conflict."
In December, Ecuador pledged to send the United States aged Soviet military equipment in exchange for $200 million worth of newer US weaponry. At the time, Sommerfeld defended Euador's pact with the US, saying the equipment was dysfunctional and thereby up for disposal any way the country saw fit.
Moscow disapproves
Russia voiced its disapproval following Ecuador's announcement in December, as Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova stated that Ecuador has made a "rash decision" by caving in to US demands for its old military equipment.
Speaking with Russian daily Izvestia, she dismissed this notion stating, "Our partners are well aware of the provisions of the contracts, including the obligation to use the supplied property for the stated purposes only and not transfer it to a third party without obtaining the appropriate agreement from the Russian side," describing Ecuador's decision as "a rash decision… under serious pressure from outside stakeholders." She argued that the US would not have offered to replace the equipment if it was actually "scrap".
The Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) also stated that the handover of Russian military equipment by Ecuador to a third party goes against the agreement between Moscow and Quito and is deemed "unacceptable."
"We would like to emphasize that in accordance with Article 4 of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Ecuador on defense industry cooperation dated November 27, 2008, it is unacceptable to transfer to a third party military products received as a result of bilateral cooperation in the defense industry without the prior written consent of the Russian Federation," the statement said.
