India, Russia ink S-400 deal; no sanctions on ally, says US

NEW DELHI: India on Friday hammered out a ~39,000-crore deal for five S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems with Russia during the annual summit between the two countries led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President Vlamidir Putin.

The deal has been inked despite concerns flagged by the US, which has slapped sanctions on Russia, about the purchase of the missile systems capable of knocking down jets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at a range of 400km. New Delhi is seeking a sanctions waiver, given that Russian-origin weaponry is in widespread use in the Indian armed forces.

The two sides “welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 longrange surface-to-air missile system to India,” said a detailed joint statement issued after the two leaders met for the 19th edition of the summit.

The US passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act earlier this year, and said countries trading with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors would face automatic sanctions under the sweeping legislation. State Department spokesperson said this week that the implementation of the sanctions act would be focused at countries acquiring weapons such as the S-400 missile batteries. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on China’s military for its purchase of combat fighters as well as the S-400 missile system it bought from Russia this year.

After Friday’s landmark deal was signed, the US embassy said the sanctions were aimed at punishing Russia and not to damage the military capabilities of its allies, indicating that India would be spared from the sanctions.