'Speculative and misleading': MEA refutes report on diversion of Indian defence exports to Ukraine

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 19 refuted a Reuters report that claimed Indian defence exports were being diverted to Ukraine.

Dubbing it as 'speculative and misleading', MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the report implies violations by India, where none exist, and hence, is inaccurate.

"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," Jaiswal said in a statement.

The report 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".

"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," the Reuters report, which was published earlier today, stated.

Refuting the claims, the MEA said, "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."