Until now, Latin American nations had refused to play a direct role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, preferring to take a more neutral, hands-off approach. But that fragile unity has now been shattered.
Just over a week ago, Ecuador’s new President Daniel Noboa announced the signing of a security agreement with the United States. That agreement includes a key stipulation — that the Ecuadorian military hands over all Russian-made weapons, military equipment and systems to US forces. In exchange, Ecuador will receive more modern US-made weapons, military equipment and defence systems, valued at $200 million, at some heretofore undisclosed time in the future.
“This is the exchange of Ukrainian and Russian scrap for €200 million dollars in modern equipment,” Noboa said. “That is something we will finalise at the end of this month.”
The “scrap” that Quito has agreed to deliver to the US includes six Russian Mil-Mi-171 helicopters and six 17-1V type helicopters; six Rostec (Splav) BM-21 multiple rocket launch systems; six Excalibur Army Spol RM-70; 34 KBP ZU-23-2 23×152 millimetre short-range air defence systems; 10,000 Chinese Norinco Type-56 7.62×39 millimetre rifles, ammunition, grenades, mortars and helmets, reports the Spanish language edition of Huffington Post. The latter were donated by China but never used by the Ecuadorian armed forces. Now they are being donated by Ecuador to China’s biggest strategic rival, the US.
For the moment, details are few and far between. Noboa did not specify under what terms the transfer of weapons will be executed, when the new US-made weapons and equipment will be delivered or for what purpose(s) the United States has requested Russian-made “scrap”. But its final destination will presumably be Ukraine.
“Unfriendly Step”
Russia, needless to say, is hardly thrilled with the new development. Vladimir Putin’s government pointed out, among other things, that the deal signed between the US and Ecuador is illegal since Russia explicitly prohibits the transfer of said weapons to third countries in the sales contracts of its weapons and defence systems. Russia’s Ambassador in Quito said on Jan 11:
“We are verifying that information [regarding the proposed deal between Ecuador and the US]. But we have conveyed to the Ecuadorian authorities Russia’s position that the Americans do not need that equipment, even more so when it is called ‘scrap metal’… We warned the authorities that this (transfer) would be an unfriendly step.”
The agreement between the US and Ecuador comes in the wake of Noboa’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” against Ecuador’s drug cartels on January 9, following an explosion of gang-related violence across the country. That, in turn, came on the heels of a hush-hush agreement in October between Washington and Ecuador’s then-outgoing scandal-tarnished President Guillermo Lasso to allow the entry of US troops onto Ecuadorian soil. Then, in December, as we reported here, the Noboa government quietly asked Washington to come up with a Plan Colombia-style initiative to combat the drug cartels.
To round off the formalities, Noboa announced just four days ago his government’s full support for Israel: “As a nation we are not going to condemn Israel’s actions nor are we going to take a position like Brazil or Colombia.” Both Brazil and Colombia have backed the South African ICJ case against Israel.
For the moment, there are no signs of US troop deployments to the violence-plagued country. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has categorically ruled out such a move. But US interest in the Andean country is certainly rising. Yesterday, Ecuador received a US delegation led by the Special Presidential Adviser for the Americas, Christopher Dodd, SOUTHCOM Commander Laura Richardson — who first floated the idea publicly of LatAm nations swapping their Russian weaponry for US weaponry — and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Christopher Landberg.
Of course, the impact Ecuador’s arsenal of Russian-made weapons has on the Ukraine-Russia conflict will be practically zero. But the mere fact the Biden Administration is still requesting the weaponry at this late stage in proceedings speaks to the desperate shortages of weapons and other equipment Ukraine now faces, as many of its European allies have themselves run low on supplies. Washington’s request for Russian-made weaponry may also serve other ends, of course, including to reduce Russian arms sales and influence in Latin America with a veiw to supplanting those sales and influence.
A Long Wait
Ukraine has been waiting for this consignment for a long time. As readers may recall, just over a year ago Washington began pressuring governments in Latin America to donate or (in the words of the Commander of US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson) “switch out” Russian military equipment to Ukraine. EU governments and the Zelenksy regime also lobbied Latin American countries to provide weaponry, Russian made or otherwise. Germany even offered to pay Brazil’s government 25 million real (around $5 million) for a store of ammunition for its Leopard 1 tanks.
As I noted at the time, such frantic calls for assistance were indicative of the serious resource constraints afflicting both Ukraine and the NATO alliance. Until Ukraine’s armed forces had enough Western-produced weapons to replenish their stocks, which has arguably never happened, and are well versed in how to use them, which takes a considerable time, its soldiers desperately needed ammunition for the Russian-manufactured arms they are more familiar with. But the calls were roundly rejected, with Brazil’s Lula saying:
“Brazil has no interest in passing on ammunition to be used in the war between… Ukraine and Russia. Brazil is a country of peace. At this moment, we need to find those who want peace, a word that until now has been used very little.”
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO for short) not only refused to send weapons to Ukraine; he lambasted Germany’s government for its decision to send tanks to the war zone after weeks of resisting US, NATO and Ukrainian pressure. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro explained in no uncertain terms why his government would not be sending Russian weapons to Ukraine:
“I told them that our constitution includes a commitment, in the international arena, to peace. And [those weapons] will stay as scrap metal in Colombia; we will not hand them over so that they can be taken to Ukraine to prolong a war.”
Even Argentina’s weak President Alberto Fernández declared during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that “neither Argentina nor anyone in Latin America” is thinking of sending weapons to Ukraine.
As it turns out, that probably wasn’t true…
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Nick Corbishley 