Speculative and misleading: India refutes claims of artillery shells reaching Ukraine

New Delhi: India rejected a media report on Thursday that claimed Indian-made artillery shells were being redirected to Ukraine by European buyers, with India allegedly not taking action to prevent this. Randhir Jaiswal, speaking for the Ministry of External Affairs, dismissed the Reuters article as unfounded and misleading. He stated that the report wrongly suggests India has committed violations, when in fact no such breaches have occurred. Jaiswal characterised the article as inaccurate and potentially malicious in its implications.

He 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,” Jaiswal said.

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, the media report has said, citing 11 unnamed Indian and European government and defence industry officials as well as a Reuters analysis of commercially available customs data.

The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia has occurred for more than a year, it has said. mpost