India signs US$5 billion deal for Russian air defence systems, despite threat of US sanctions
The agreement was signed during a visit to New Delhi by Russian President Vladimir Putin
India signed a US$5 billion deal to buy five Russian S-400 air defence systems on Friday despite a looming threat of US sanctions on countries that trade with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors.
The deal was signed in New Delhi during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss nuclear energy, space exploration and trade.
India has requested that the United States grant it a waiver for the deal from sanctions prescribed by the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a US law passed in August 2017 that is intended to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea and alleged interference in the 2016 US elections.
The US did not spare China from sanctions last month for purchasing its own Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets.
If the US does impose sanctions on India, it is unclear how India could pay Russia for the military equipment, since the law bars dollar-denominated financial transactions.
