Putin's plan to use bananas from Ecuador as a 'weapon' in his invasion of Ukraine did not have the desired effect. The Russian president has banned imports from five suppliers from Ecuador over a dispute over sending old Soviet weapons to Ukraine, and there are already warnings that bananas will start disappearing from Russian supermarkets within a month.
Faced with shortage fears, Oleg Knyazkov, head of the Center for Industrial Excellence at Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's consumer regulator, told Gazeta that Russians would do well to start growing banana trees in their own country.
The controversial comments follow Putin's decision, earlier this month, to suspend banana imports from five Ecuadorian companies, justifying it by finding pests in exports of the fruit.
A few weeks ago, Ecuador accepted a U.S. offer to replace Soviet-era military equipment with modern U.S. weapons in a $200 million deal.
The equipment will then be sent to Ukraine as part of efforts to equip the country to repel a Russian invasion.
The agreement reached was seen as an insult by Moscow, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Ecuador of making “an irresponsible decision under heavy pressure from external stakeholders”.
Russia imports 90% of its bananas from Ecuador. The head of Rosselkhoznadzor said the shortage is expected to be temporary as partial imports are being established from India, which still faces logistical problems.
Knyazkov again emphasized the need to invest in the cultivation of bananas in Russia, indicating that there are already successful experiences in the cultivation of tropical plants in the Krasnodar region.
Bananas are a 'weapon' in the war between Russia and Ukraine. It's Ecuador's fault
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