Diplomatic tensions between Ecuador and Russia over military equipment threaten banana exports

By GABRIELA MOLINA

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A diplomatic rift between Ecuador and Russia appeared to intensify over the weekend after the European nation decided to ban some imports of bananas from Ecuador. The two countries have been at loggerheads recently after Ecuador decided to transfer some of its old Russian military equipment to the United States, in exchange for $200 million in new military gear to fight the drug gangs that have been terrorizing the country. On Saturday, a Russian federal agency announced it was banning imports from five Ecuadorian banana companies, claiming that a disease had been found in previous shipments of their fruits.