New Delhi: Dismissing a media report that claimed diversion of Indian defence exports to Ukraine, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Thursday called it “speculative and misleading”.
“We have seen the Reuters report. It is speculative and misleading. It implies violations by India, where none exist and, hence, is inaccurate and mischievous,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an official statement.
“India has an impeccable track record of compliance with international obligations on the export of military and dual-use items. India has been carrying out its defence exports taking into account its international obligations on non-proliferation and based on its own robust legal and regulatory framework, which includes a holistic assessment of relevant criteria, including end user obligations and certifications,” the ministry added.
What did the Reuters report say
The response by MEA came after a Reuters report said that artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers have been diverted by European customers to Ukraine and India has not intervened to stop the trade despite protests from Russia.
The report said Russia raised concerns about the arms diversion on at least two occasions, including during a meeting in July between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
The Reuters report added that the transfer of ammunition to help Ukraine’s defense against Russia has been going on for over a year.
The news agency quoted two anonymous government and two defence industry sources and claimed that New Delhi produced only a very small amount of the ammunition being used by Ukraine, with one official estimating that it was under 1% of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the war.
The Reuters report also said that Ukraine, which is fighting an offensive by Moscow towards the eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, has a acute crunch of artillery ammunition.