'Unlikely to get any waiver': US warns India against acquiring Russian S-400 missile

New Delhi, January 16: Even after India affirmed its right to choose its defence supplies under its independent foreign policy, the United States has again told India it is unlikely to get a waiver on its planned acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems.

 

 

 

It should be noted Trump administration is forcing Indians to drop the $5.5 billion deal for five missile systems and avoid a diplomatic crisis. It said New Delhi did not have a wide waiver from a 2017 U.S. law aimed at deterring countries from buying Russian military hardware.

 

“We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions under the CAATSA. CAATSA does not have any blanket or country-specific waiver provision. We have not made any waiver determinations with respect to Indian transactions with Russia," the spokesperson of the US embassy in India was quoted as saying.

 

This comes just months after the Trump administration in the US had imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for procuring the same air defence systems from Russia.

 

India says it needs the long-range surface-to-air missiles to counter the threat from China. India and China have been locked in a face-off on the disputed Himalayan border since April, the most serious in decades.

 

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "India and the US have a comprehensive global strategic partnership. India has a special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia.” He added, “India has always pursued an independent foreign policy. This also applies to our defence acquisitions and supplies which are guided by our national security interests.”

 

India made an initial payment of $800 million in 2019 toward the Russian deal and the first set of missile batteries are expected towards the end of this year. Russia has traditionally been India’s main weapons supplier but in recent decades the Indian government has turned to the United States and Israel for new planes and drones.

Srivastava added, “India has always pursued an independent foreign policy. This also applies to our defence acquisitions and supplies which are guided by our national security interests.”