India called for elections and a dialogue between Ukraine and other countries involved in the crisis there but left unstated New Delhi’s concern over Kiev’s control of its military industrial complex, with which India has developed close ties.
Of immediate concern is the fate of some military equipment factories from where India is getting its entire fleet of medium military transport aircraft modernised. Another Ukrainian military facility provides engines for military helicopters of Russian origin, which account for a quarter of the world’s medium, medium-heavy and heavy lift helicopters. India also has contracts for sourcing naval engines.
India had managed to strike deals with these companies as an alternative to Russia. It has in the past managed to play off the two countries and get the best possible deal.
The breakthrough came during ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yankovich's visit to India in December 2012 with the signing of a defence cooperation agreement. It is a sign of Ukraine's importance to India's military modernisation that the Indian embassy in Kiev has two military officers of First Secretary rank and one of Second Secretary rank.
The visit led to the doubling of imports in the past two years with expectations of a further jump if the new political dispensation remained as favourable as Mr. Yankovich and control some of these military-industrial complexes.
