Putin arrives in Delhi today, focus on S- 400 deal
New Delhi, Oct. 3: Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi today on a two- day visit during which India and Russia are likely to sign a deal to procure S- 400 air defence systems and deliberate on key regional and global issues, including US sanctions on import of Iranian crude oil.
Putin, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will hold the 19th IndiaRussia annual bilateral summit during which the two leaders are expected to review bilateral defence cooperation in the wake of the US sanctions against Russian defence majors.
The focus during the visit will be on the S- 400 Triumf air defence missile systems agreement with a top Kremlin aide saying Tuesday that Russian President Putin will oversee the signing of the “USD 5 billion deal”.
“The key feature of this visit will be the signing of the agreement to deliver S- 400 air defence systems,” Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov was quoted in media reports as saying in Moscow.
“The value of the contract will be more than USD 5 billion,” he said.
The purchase will violate sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act ( CAATSA) instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Russia, but American lawmakers have allowed the possibility of a presidential waiver.
here have been indications by New Delhi that it will go ahead with the deal notwithstanding the US sanctions.
“India has maintained its sovereignty as regards to its relationship with countries. We shall maintain it in all earnestness,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told PTI recently when asked whether the US sanctions will hit India’s defence ties with Russia.