Ecuador offers $23 million to the United States

The agreement is set to expire next month. Many believed it wouldn't be renewed, said Vicente Albornoz, dean of economics at the University of the Americas in Quito. That could make Correa's announcement Thursday a wise political move that will bolster his support at home, but cost the country relatively little, Albornoz said.

"He is giving up something that we did not have, because it was evident that the ATPDEA was not going to be renewed," Albornoz said. "It's like if I withdraw from winning the lottery when I haven't bought a ticket, and I announce that I won't accept first prize."

Jorge Leon, an Ecuadorian sociologist, warned that Ecuador's role in the Snowden case could have a chilling effect on investors.

"Ecuador is searching for investors, and this image of going more and more to a radical position on the left does not generate tranquility," he said.

But the Snowden case and Ecuador's decision last year to grant asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have helped Correa promote his image as a leftist leader in the region, Leon said.

"They help him gain credibility on the leftist scene," Leon said.

On Thursday, Ecuadorian officials offered to give $23 million annually -- roughly the same amount officials said that Ecuador receives in benefits from the tariff deal -- to the United States. The money, Communications Secretary Fernando Alvarado told reporters Thursday morning, could be used for human rights training.

By Thursday evening, Correa didn't show any sign of changing his government's tune, vowing to make the decision regarding Snowden's asylum request with absolute sovereignty and without regard to any trade deals or other international pressures.

"Our dignity," he said, "doesn't have a price."

Fuente: CNN's Adriana Hauser, Matthew Chance and Michael Pearson and journalist Andres Lopez contributed to this report.