US sanctions won't impact India-Russia defence ties: Nirmala Sitharaman
Press conference
US President Donald Trump in August signed a law threatening sanctions on any country doing business with Russia's defence and intelligence sectors
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday that US sanctions on Russia military exports would not impact long-standing ties between New Delhi and one of its key arms suppliers Moscow.
US President Donald Trump in August signed a law threatening sanctions on any country doing business with Russia's defence and intelligence sectors.
The sanctions regime affects American allies like India, which has purchased Russian military hardware and expertise for decades.
India, the world's top defence importer, had been in talks with Russia to buy S-400 long range surface-to-air missile systems when the sanctions were announced.
There had been speculation last year when the sanctions were signed into law that the $6 billion weapons deal could be scuttled.
But Sitharaman said the long-running negotiations "have reached the final stage".
“I like to make it clear here that in all our engagements with the U.S., we have very clearly explained how India and Russia’s defence cooperation has been going on for a very long time,” Sitharaman said in response to a media query pertaining to theUSadvising India to not go ahead with purchase of S-400 anti-missile system from Russia.
“It’s a time-tested relationship and India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia. Assets, spares, servicing, we have a continuous relationship with Russia,” she noted.
Sitharaman said the USsanctions against Russia would not be impacting “this particular characteristic of India-Russia defence cooperation”.
Negotiations with Russia for S-400 were in the final stage, she pointed out, “The S-400 deal has been on for a very long time and we have reached the final stage negotiations. That explains it all,” she said.
India has increasingly turned to the United States and France for arms purchases in recent years, but is still reliant on Russia hardware and expertise to maintain its existing arsenal.
India has very clearly conveyed to the US that the "time-tested" Indo-Russian cooperation in the defence sector will continue, including the deal for S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for the IAF, notwithstanding the American sanctions against Moscow.
Sources said India wants its defence transactions with Russia to be insulated from the purview of stringent American law CAATSA and is likely to raise the issue with the US when the two sides meet in Washington for the 2+2 talks next month.
"In all our engagements with the US, we have clearly explained how India and Russia's defence cooperation has been going on for a long time and that it is a time-tested relationship. We have mentioned that CAATSA cannot impact the India-Russia defence cooperation," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a press conference.
She said India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia and the cooperation between the two countries will continue.
In January, the US announced sanctions against Russia under its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for Moscow's alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016.
India wants to procure the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly along the nearly 4,000-km-long Sino-India border.
Official sources said both Russia and India are likely to announce the deal before an annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in October.
(With inputs from agencies)