New Delhi: India has rejected a media report which claimed "artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers have been diverted by European customers to Ukraine and New Delhi has not intervened to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow". Earlier today, the news agency Reuters published the report citing eleven Indian and European government and defence industry officials, as well as its analysis of commercially available customs data.
Responding to the report, the Ministry of External Affairs dubbed it "speculative and misleading". "It implies violations by India, where none exist and, hence, is inaccurate and mischievous," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement released on Thursday.
What Reuters report claim
According to the report, the transfer of munitions to support Ukraine's defence against Russia has occurred for more than a year. Citing its sources and the customs data, Reuters reported that Indian arms export regulations limit the use of weaponry to the declared purchaser, who risks future sales being terminated if unauthorised transfers occur. The media report also claimed that the Kremlin has raised the issue on at least two occasions, including during a July meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart.
"Two Indian government and two defence industry sources told that 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 news agency couldn't determine if the munitions were resold or donated to Kyiv by European customers," according to a Reuters report.
India has an impeccable track record of compliance: MEA
The report also mentioned a statement by Randhir Jaiswal where he categorically informed the media that India had not sent or sold artillery shells to Ukraine. However, a fresh statement released by MEA underscored that India has an impeccable track record of compliance with international obligations on the export of military and dual-use items. The ministry emphasised that 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.
India defence export
India exported just over $3 billion of arms between 2018 and 2023, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think-tank. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at an August 30 conference that defence exports surpassed $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year and that Delhi wanted to increase that to about $6 billion by 2029.
