Russian-Ecuadorian Relations: History, Reality and Prospects

This article reveals the main changes in the relations between Russia and Ecuador by 2025 in political, economic, and military spheres. The analysis of the existing literature reflects that historical aspects of establishing ties between the countries have received little attention among the researchers. In the context of the 80[th] anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ecuador and the USSR (1945), the article aims to highlight the key historical milestones and the current state of the Russian-Ecuadorian affairs, relying on a source base consisting of official documents of the states, media, and archival materials (Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation). Historically, the relations between the countries depended on a number of external and internal political factors, but by the end of the existence of the USSR, the states had already developed not only diplomatic but also fruitful trade and economic contacts. The setback that occurred due to the collapse of the USSR began to be overcome in the late 1990s. The affairs intensified with the rise to power of the leftist progressist president R. Correa in Ecuador, whose presidential terms coincided with the era of the most intense and effective contacts. The subsequent right-wing governments led to a slowdown in cooperation and even a significant cooling of contacts due to an incident in early 2024. However, the trade turnover (over one billion dollars in 2023) between the countries remains stable, and there is mutual interest among entrepreneurs in utilizing the new geopolitical situation caused by the Ukrainian conflict to launch economic projects. The further development of bilateral relations will depend on political stability and the electoral process in Ecuador, the dynamics of the Ukrainian conflict, as well as the ability of Russian capital to compete with Chinese, Italian, and American companies that are investing in the South American republic.