MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. The US is taking advantage of Ecuador to fill gaps in arms shipments to Ukraine by promising Ecuador US-made weapons in exchange for Russian-made ones, says Oleg Karpovich, Vice-Rector of the Russian Foreign Ministry Diplomatic Academy.

"The US’ Monroe Doctrine essentially made Latin America the US’ backyard, and they kept other countries out of there," the expert told TASS. "Naturally, the Americans, who saw the sticky situation unfolding in Ecuador, decided to take advantage of it, promising $200 million worth of aid. And, as usual, the Americans didn’t forget to think about themselves while helping someone else. During World War I, they provided loans, shipped weapons, making money off of that. The situation was the same during World War II."

Meanwhile, Karpovich pointed out that arms shipments to Ukraine have slowed down significantly.

"We see that Ukraine is no longer in the spotlight of the mass media, and it is not getting the attention it used to, due to the conflict in the Middle East," he noted. "The issue of US aid to Ukraine and Israel remains unresolved."

"Therefore, the Americans are looking for some way out of the current situation and try to take advantage of Ecuador’s problems to fill in the gaps for Ukraine," the vice rector said.

The expert pointed out that the potential handover of Russian-made weapons to Kiev would be illegal.

"Usually, the contracts that Russia signs with other countries prohibit the handover of weapons to third countries," he added.

"In these circumstances, where conflicts are taking place in Ukraine and the Middle East, when people are dying, the US military-industrial complex makes very big money," Karpovich noted. "For example, in 2023, the stock prices of US weapons manufacturers have grown multifold, and their profits were in the billions."

The situation in Ecuador

Previously, President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa announced that his country will hand over about $200 million worth of Russian-made equipment in exchange for new US-made arms.

The situation in Ecuador escalated on January 7 after a crime lord known as "Fito" escaped from prison. This was followed by riots in several penitentiary facilities. On January 8, Noboa declared a state of emergency and introduced a curfew.

In January 2023, US authorities announced that Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and six other Latin American states have Russian-made weapons, and that Washington intends to exchange these weapons for US-made ones, if these countries opt to hand them over for Ukraine.