Ecuador's Foreign Ministry says it will not transfer military equipment to either Ukraine or Russia

This Monday, February 19, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said that Ecuador will not send military assets to Ukraine or any other country involved in an international armed conflict. She made this statement during her speech before the Commission on Transparency, Citizen Participation and Social Control of the National Assembly chaired by MP Patricio Chavez, UNN reports.

There is a clear indication from the President of the Republic of Ecuador that the country will not send any military material to a country that is involved in an international armed conflict. Ecuador is part of the United Nations Security Council and, as a member, we contribute to the resolution of conflicts, always respecting international law and the peaceful resolution of these contradictions. 

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Last week, Ecuadorian President Noboa ratified military cooperation agreements with the United States. According to Reuters, Ecuador has agreed to two military cooperation agreements with the United States, including one on joint naval operations. Sommerfeld explained that the two countries share the challenge of fighting transnational organized crime, and the United States is a strategic partner. 

Regarding the Agreement on the Charter of the Armed Forces, signed on October 6, 2023, it regulates the temporary status of United States officials in their actions of cooperation with Ecuadorian law enforcement agencies regarding ship visits, training, exercises, humanitarian activities. activities such as responding to natural and man-made disasters; cooperative measures to address common security challenges, including illicit trafficking, international terrorism, and illegal unregistered and unregulated fishing.

Sommerfeld noted that the activities of United States military personnel in Ecuador are temporary or for a short period of time to train, educate, and provide equipment to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces.

So one of the agreements agreed upon will allow Ecuador to conduct joint operations with the United States to combat illegal activities such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal fishing.

The content of the second agreement was not publicly disclosed.

However, it is worth noting that in late January, President Daniel Noboa said he would deliver Soviet-era Russian military materials, which he called "scrap," to Washington to enable an exchange with the United States.  Previously, the two countries had stipulated that in exchange for the Soviet models, Ecuador would receive  more modern military equipment worth about $200 million from the United States.

Deputy  Secretary of the U.S. State Department Kevin Sullivan confirmed that the Soviet military materials delivered by Ecuador will be used to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. Among the assumptions about the equipment that will be part of this delivery is a set of Mi-17 helicopters from the Ecuadorian army.

A few days after these statements, Russia expressed its disapproval of the fact that Ecuador had not consulted with it beforehand. And even imposed sanctions against banana exporters from Ecuador.