Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today that India is going to go ahead with the S-400 Triumf Air Defence missile deal with Russia. Apparently, India has decided to seal the deal despite the US sanctions on military transactions with Moscow.
It’s important to note that the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on military deals with Russia under the Countering America’s Through Sanction Act (CAATSA). However, it’s an American law, not a law of the UN and India has conveyed its position to the US.
Addressing a group of reporters, the Defence Minister said that the S-400 deal with Russia is soon going to be concluded. She also revealed that the deal may take two and a half to four years to be implemented. Commenting on India’s defence relations with Russia that has endured several decades, Ms. Sitharaman said that the same has been conveyed to US Congressional delegation who recently visited India.
Lately, India has been highly concerned about US Sanctions against Russia that also includes Rosoboronexport because it may affect billions of dollars of military purchases.
The US had announced these sanctions against Russia when it discovered about the latter’s meddling in the American presidential election in 2016. The act even mandates the Trump administration to punish the entities that engage in transactions with the defence or Intelligence establishment of Russia.
However, India really needs to seal this deal in order to strengthen its air defence along the 4000 km long Sino-India border. Also, the agreement regarding Triumf missile system was signed between India and Russia in 2014.
S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. It can destroy incoming aircraft, missiles, and drones at a range of up to 400 km. This inceptor-based system is an upgraded version of S-300.
Manufactured by Almaz-Antey, the system is known to be Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system that has been functional in the country since 2007.
