British PM Boris Johnson’s two-day visit to India saw the impact of the Russo-Ukraine war when he shied away from a Russian-made helicopter to roam Gujarat. In fact, Boris Johnson, who was visiting India, landed directly in Gujarat. But a British liaison team had come to India three days before Boris Johnson’s arrival. The team requested the Indian government to replace the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter with the American Chinook.
According to the Times of India report, senior protocol officials told that the British team had requested India that when Boris visit and visit Britain’s construction equipment manufacturer JCB’s plants in Gandhinagar and Halol near Vadodara, the Russian-made Mi American Chinook should be used instead of -17 helicopter.
The Government of India accepted his request. Officials said the government sourced 30-seater Chinooks from the Indian Air Force base in Chandigarh and used them to pick up and pick up Boris for the 20-minute ride from the Secretariat helipad to Halol.
Chinook reached the state capital on Wednesday after a six-hour flight, he said. It is not clear whether the request to replace the chopper was made for security reasons, or in view of the boycott of Russia. Indeed, since the Russian attack on Ukraine, the US-led Western coalition has promoted a boycott of all Russians.