India hopes to escape US sanctions following the $5.43-billion deal inked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday
In what appears to be a strong message by the US on the Indo-Russia deal for five S-400 missile systems, Washington has said that there are strict criteria for considering a waiver under its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
While CAATSA aims at imposing sanctions against a country that strikes defence deals with a set of countries, including Russia, the federal law also has a provision for relief which has to be granted by the US President.
"The waiver authority is not country-specific. There are strict criteria for considering a waiver. The waiver is narrow, intended to wean countries off of Russian equipment and allow for things such as spare parts for previously-purchased equipment," a US State Department official told WION.
India hopes to escape US sanctions following the $5.43-billion deal inked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. A top government official said "it is in the national interest and S-400 negotiations precede CAATSA by a long period". The US federal law became effective in 2017.
The US State Department also highlighted its sanctions on China over S-400, saying it "underscores the seriousness of our resolve on this issue". China took delivery of 10 Sukhoi jets in December of 2017 and a batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems this January.
But US, many say, can't put China alongside India, given the growing closeness between New Delhi and Washington. India has been increasing its defence trade with US which currently stands at $15 billion.
Sanction Scare
- Under a US federal law, nations striking defence deals with Russia must face sanctions
- India closed its deal on five S-400 missile systems on Thursday
- US says its law allows a waiver, but it is narrow and must be cleared by the country’s president
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