“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,” the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 19 outrightly rejected a report published by international news agency Reuters claiming that Indian defence exports have been diverted to Ukraine, labelling them “speculative and misleading.”
The MEA added that India has an impeccable track record of complying with international obligations regarding the export of military and dual-use items.
“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 MEA added further in a statement.
The Reuters report claimed that European customers had diverted artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers to Ukraine; despite protests from Moscow, New Delhi did not intervene.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since February 2020.
India has been actively calling to resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. Earlier this July, PM Modi visited Russia and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022.
A few weeks back, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Russia to attend the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting. During his visit, he met with Russian leadership, including Putin and Sergey Shoigu.
PM Modi travelled to Ukraine last month, the first Indian PM to do so, and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
