Russian defense experts on Sunday stated that the reported sale of RD-93 engines to Pakistan for use in the JF-17 would be advantageous for India. They further dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the Indian government over the matter as unwarranted.

Pyotr Topychkanov, who leads the Section on New Challenges in South and Southeast Asia at the Moscow-based Primakov Institute, said, "I don't think the criticism here is justified. If reports about Russia providing engines for the JF-17 are correct, it actually benefits India in two ways."

Topychkanov pointed out that China had approached Russia to supply RD-93 engines for its FC-17 aircraft as a temporary solution, and both the NDA and UPA governments, during the tenures of Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh,

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