Putin has threatened to stop buying bananas from Ecuador because of Russian arms shipments from Quito to the United States.

Ecuador is preparing a response to measures imposed by Russia by suspending five Ecuadorian banana exporters and completely banning the entry of carnations from the Latin American country. Both moves came just days after Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa” will qualify asscrap“Russian war equipment that he handed over to the United States to receive new equipment.

The Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries informed the press that: “At this time, high-level meetings are being held that allow the country to take positions. We will let you know as soon as we get the response.”

However, Russia has indicated that both the suspension and the ban are due Phytosanitary reasons

The move is believed to be retaliation for Noboa’s comments, especially after a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, Maria ZakharovaNoboa expressed the Kremlin’s displeasure at the description given to its equipment: “If it were scrap metal, as they call it in Ecuador, it would be difficult for Washington to propose its exchange for modern equipment, certainly for a fairly high sum. We hope Quito understands it that way,” the Russian official said. These statements come four days after what Noboa said.

The United States has received Russian equipment and will deliver new ones to Ecuador. Appraisal of new equipment is approx USD 200 million.

Zazarova also suggested that: “Such a hasty decision was taken by the Ecuadorian side under severe pressure from interested persons from abroad.According to Russian authorities, Ecuador cannot deliver military equipment to the United States without Moscow’s consent.

Last Friday, the Russian Phytosanitary Inspection Agency (Roselzhoznadzor) indicated that the banana export certificates of these five companies would be temporarily suspended because Reported presence of humpback flies in shipments arriving in Russia.

The measures adopted by the Putin regime will significantly affect the profits that Ecuadorian exporters and therefore the government receive from these products. Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas in the world. It exported 6.5 million tonnes in 2023 alone. Russia, second only to the European Union, is the second most important buyer of Ecuadorian bananas.with a participation of about 23%.

On Saturday, February 3, five days after the Ecuadorian president’s statements, Russia also ordered a total ban on the import of Ecuadorian carnations. Once again, Russia’s Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service said it had detected cases of non-compliance. Eurasian Economic Union. According to the Russian agency, moths have been found in flowers in Ecuador.

In addition to advertising, The Russian Federal Service has also asked the Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania to stop the entry of Ecuadorian carnations. It will start from February 9. A few days before Valentine’s Day, when flower exports from Ecuador increase significantly. Russia has warned those countries that, if they do not restrict the entry of carnations, the Kremlin will have to apply restrictive measures against other types of flowers entering those territories.

Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters (FedExport) “The products Ecuadorian exportables offer comply with the quality sanitary and phytosanitary standards demanded by our destination markets.”” And added that the associated unions monitor the trade situation with Russia in detail: “We will maintain a full assessment of this situation. At the same time, we are in direct contact with the national authorities, so that it is possible to clarify the strict compliance with the requirements that Ecuador grants in phytosanitary matters to the products sent to all markets,” indicated the association. Statement