New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has rejected a Reuters report calling it "inaccurate and mischievous’, after the news agency claimed ammunition sold by Indian manufacturers has been diverted to Ukraine by European customers.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged to have seen the Reuters report and termed it ‘speculative and misleading’, alongside saying the repot which implies violations by India is inaccurate and mischievous.
Jaiswal emphasized that India has impeccable track record of complaining with international obligations regarding the export of military and dual-use items.
Jaiswal added that India adheres to its international obligations regarding non-proliferation, alongside its legal and regulatory framework, while conducting defence exports.
News agency Reuters made the claims citing its conversations with eleven Indian and European government and defence industry officials alongside analyzing commercially available customs data.
It said that the Indian government did not intervene to stop when European customers diverted to Ukraine the artillery shells sold by Indian arms manufacturers, despite protests from Moscow.
Russia, according to the report, raised the issue with India twice including once during a meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
The supply of munitions, happening for over a year, helped Ukraine in the war against Russia, the report said.
India’s arms export regulations specify that weaponry supplied can only be used by the purchaser and in the event of unauthorized transfers future sales to them can be stopped, Reuters reported.