India has not sent any artillery ammunition to Ukraine: MEA

India has not sent any artillery ammunition to Ukraine: MEA

India on January 4 trashed reports that claimed spotting certain Indian-origin artillery shells in Ukraine, and categorically asserted that it has not sent any ammunition to that country.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has neither sent nor exported any artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

"We have also seen some media reports in this regard. We can categorically say that we have not sent any of this artillery ammunition to Ukraine," he said at a media briefing.

Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a question on reports about Indian-made artillery shells being spotted in Ukraine.

India has been maintaining that the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

On January 2, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a "useful" phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv's peace formula and ways to advance bilateral ties.

The phone conversation came days after Jaishankar paid a five-day visit to Russia during which he held extensive talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called on President Vladimir Putin.

"A useful conversation with FM @DmytroKuleb of Ukraine today. Discussed advancing our bilateral cooperation in the year ahead. Exchanged views on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine," the external affairs minister said on X after the talks.

On his part, Kuleba said he conveyed to his Indian counterpart the "peace formula" and Ukraine's plan for the 'Global Peace Summit' of leaders.

"We discussed further cooperation on the Peace Formula. In this regard, I informed my counterpart of Ukraine's vision for the Global Peace Summit of leaders," he said.

"We agreed to hold the first meeting of the India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission since 2018 in the near future," Kuleba said.

The Ukrainian foreign minister further added that the "rejuvenation of this primary mechanism of our bilateral ties will allow us to jointly move forward in a comprehensive manner." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put forward a 10-point "peace plan" for ending the conflict that included punishing those responsible for the war crimes, withdrawing all Russian troops from Ukraine, and restoring his country's territorial integrity.

Under the plan, he also called for ensuring energy security, food security, and nuclear safety. PTI MPB SMN