NEW DELHI, Sept 19: India has denounced a news agency report that India-made artillery shells sold to European customers had found their way to Ukraine and were used in the ongoing conflict against Russia.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Thursday said the media report that implied violations by India in its defence exports as “speculative and misleading.” Citing government officials and defence industry sources from both India and Europe, the report claimed that New Delhi had not intervened to prevent the resale of these arms, despite multiple protests from Moscow.
“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. He said India has a “robust legal and regulatory framework” governing its defence exports, which ensures strict compliance with international obligations on non-proliferation.
India, he reiterated, has an “impeccable track record” regarding 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,” Jaiswal added.
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According to the report, the diversion of these munitions to Ukraine has occurred for more than a year, and customs data reportedly corroborated the transfers. However, the news agency acknowledged that it could not determine whether the munitions had been resold or donated to Kyiv by European buyers.
Russia, a long-standing defence partner of India and its primary arms supplier, is reportedly unhappy with the transfers. According to the agency report, Moscow raised concerns about the issue on at least two occasions, including during a meeting in July between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The report identified Italy and the Czech Republic as among the European nations that have been supplying Indian artillery shells to Ukraine. It cited a Spanish and a senior Indian official, as well as a former executive of Yantra India, one of the Indian companies implicated in the ammunition transfers.
Yantra India, Munitions India, and Kalyani Strategic Systems are the primary Indian ammunition makers involved, according to the report. The investigation revealed that India’s arms exports to European countries, including Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Slovenia, had surged significantly since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
(Manas Dasgupta)