Reports: Pakistan Upgrading Military Hardware Deals with Ukraine as It Buys Russian Oil

Pakistan's Special Service Group (SSG) naval commandos take part in the annual joint
RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP via Getty Images
Frances Martel

Multiple reports in the past week, including on the state news site Ukrinform, claimed that Pakistan is finalizing deals with Ukraine to both purchase Ukrainian military hardware and provide Kyiv with air-defense systems.

The reports follow the Pakistani government’s announcement that it had formally placed an order with Moscow to buy discounted Russian oil, joining other reported major purchasers such as India, China, and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has insisted on “neutrality” in the ongoing war with Ukraine, failing to condemn Russia at the United Nations but reiterating publicly a history of “strong defense ties” with Ukraine.

Reports of potentially warming relations between Kyiv and Islamabad follow months of lukewarm relations between Ukraine and India that deteriorated rapidly this weekend after the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense published an image depicting the Hindu goddess Kali as a Marilyn Monroe, outraging public sentiment in India. The Ukrainian government has since apologized and deleted the offending post. India has attempted to also take a “neutral” position on the war but is historically the world’s largest buyer of Russian weapons and has objected to European and American sanctions on Moscow.

Pakistan has faced accusations of contemplating or already supplying weapons to Ukraine to use against invading Russian forces since at least October. Pakistani officials have denied the reports of sending weapons to Ukraine, though its military relies in part on Ukrainian aircraft engines and other advanced technology.

The state outlet Ukrinform, citing India’s Economic Times, reported this weekend that Pakistan “is preparing to provide Ukraine with Anza Mark-II man-portable air-defense systems of its own production” and planning the logistics of sending the weapons through Poland in May.

“Poland’s PHU Lechmar LLC will act as an intermediary buyer, while Canada-based Tradent Global Solutions will act as an intermediary consultant,” Ukrinform claimed, citing the Indian outlet. “In addition, Pakistan is in the process of exporting Anza Mark-II MANPADS to Poland for transfer to Kyiv.”

The Economic Times, one of the world’s largest financial newspapers, reported last week that, in addition to reports of Pakistani weapons reaching Ukraine, Islamabad was negotiating with the Eastern European country to purchase jet engines manufactured by Ukraine’s Motor Sich. Motor Sich is a critical component of the Ukrainian economy that President Volodymyr Zelensky saved from potential Chinese government capture by nationalizing it in 2021, outraging Beijing. Zelensky has also sanctioned Chinese companies for attempting to buy control of Motor Sich.

The newspaper claimed that Pakistan had worked out a $1.5-million agreement “to take supplies of Mi-17 helicopter engines and spare parts for the helicopters,” citing anonymous sources. While the Economic Times did not cite any source on the record, the reproduction of claims of an enhanced military partnership between the two countries by Ukrinform, which the Ukrainian government controls, suggests that Kyiv believes the reports are at least worth sharing.

In exchange, the newspaper claimed, Pakistan agreed to provide unspecified “defense supplies” to Ukraine.

“A key element of Ukraine-Pakistan defence ties has been the supply of defence items to Kiev by Islamabad since last August,” the Economic Times alleged. “Ukraine has been facing shortage of arms and ammunition and Pakistan is probably the only developing world country that has emerged as a key supplier of defence equipment in lieu of western aid.”

The newspaper noted that Pakistan and Ukraine have been signing military hardware agreements since 1991, when Ukraine became a sovereign state.

Ukrainian paratroopers fire an L119 howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the Lugansk region on April 20, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP) (Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian paratroopers fire an L119 howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the Lugansk region on April 20, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistani officials vehemently denied the reports last week that they were supplying weapons to Ukraine for use on the battlefield against the Russian invasion.

“I would reiterate what we have said in the past from this podium. Pakistan maintains a policy of strict neutrality in the dispute between Ukraine and Russia and in that context, do not provide any ammunition to them,” Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch asserted, according to the nation’s Express Tribune.

Baloch emphasized in the denial, however, that “Pakistan has had strong defence ties with Ukraine.”

“We have also said and I reiterate again, that Pakistan’s defense exports are always accompanied with strict end user requirements and we hope those end user requirements would be fully respected by recipients,” she asserted.

The Economic Times first reported in February, again relying on “people familiar” for the information, that Pakistani rockets were en route to Germany at the time for Ukraine, claiming Islamabad had been arming its ally “on a regular basis.”

The Associated Press

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

“Supplies of rockets were dispatched from the Karachi Port earlier this month and will enter Ukraine via Emden Port in Germany, said the people,” the newspaper claimed. “More than 10,000 rockets meant for use in Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers have been shipped, they said.”

Asian News International (ANI) reported in October, citing alleged Russian and European media, that Pakistan was “utilising third-country-based defence suppliers and contractors to route these defence sales to Ukraine.”

“Credible inputs suggest that Islamabad-based arms supplier M/s DMI Associates has been in contact with Bulgaria-based firm M/s Defence Industry Group to facilitate the supply of manufactured defence stores to the Ukrainian government,” ANI reported at the time.

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