Ecuador will not send military materials to any country in armed conflict, including Ukraine.
Ecuador has changed its mind about transferring weapons to Ukraine
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Gabriela Sommerfeld, stated this during a speech before the Commission on Transparency of the National Assembly.
There is a clear directive from the president of the Republic of Ecuador that the country will not send any military materials to a country that is involved in an international armed conflict, she said.
Sommerfeld added that Ecuador, as a member of the UN, "contributes to the resolution of conflicts, always respecting international law and the peaceful resolution of these conflicts."
In late January, Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, said he would deliver Russian equipment considered "scrap" to Washington, making an exchange of about $200 million worth of modern equipment possible.
At the beginning of February, the media reported that Ecuador intends to transfer Russian Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine through the United States, of which only one is in working order. For this, the country should receive an American UH-60 Black Hawk.
Also, according to the agreement with the USA, Ecuador had to hand over the anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft systems of the 90s.
Why did Ecuador refuse to transfer equipment?
On February 16, Russian propaganda media Sputnik quoted Russian Ambassador to Ecuador Volodymyr Sprynchan as saying after a meeting with Ecuador's president that Ecuador had refused the handover.
The Ecuadorian side confirmed that the country, given its neutral status and permanent membership in the UN, cannot allow any of the involved parties to involve themselves in the conflict, the Russian diplomat said.
A few days after President Noboa announced the country's intention to transfer the equipment, Russia expressed disapproval that it had not been consulted earlier about it.
Then the Russian Federation threatened sanctions against Ecuadorian banana exporters.
On February 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Naboa, after which Russia changed its mind about banning bananas.
