Russia embarks on ‘banana war’ with Ecuador over military equipment deal with the US
Russia has begun a trade dispute, commonly referred to as a "banana war," with Ecuador following inflammatory remarks from Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa. Earlier, Noboa announced plans to donate outdated Soviet-made military equipment to the United States, which has pledged in return to provide Ecuador with new weapons to the value of $200 million.
As reported by The Moscow Times, Washington intends to pass the weaponry obtained from Ecuador to Kyiv. Among the military hardware in Ecuador's arsenal are Mi-17 helicopters.
Expressing extreme dissatisfaction with the development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the move as reckless.
Subsequently, Russia's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor imposed a temporary ban, effective February 5, on imports of bananas from five major Ecuadorian producers. The official reason cited is the detection of the Mediterranean fruit fly, whose potential spread to Russian territory could have serious adverse effects on Russian agriculture.
In response, President Noboa labeled the Russian move as "not entirely adequate," highlighting that the country is currently grappling with extensive disorder due to clashes between authorities and drug cartels. He described the equipment being given to the US as scrap metal, stating that such actions by Quito do not contravene international agreements — particularly under circumstances where Ecuador requires new weaponry to address its internal challenges.