Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asserted that India will go ahead with the deal of S-400 Triumf air defence missile with Russia despite pressure from the US. She said it is an American law under which the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on military deals with Russia, REFERRING to CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) and India has already conveyed its position on the issue to the US.
Defence Minister said that the negotiations with Russia for the S-400 missile deal have almost come to conclusion. After the deal gets signed, it will take two-and-a-half to four years for implementing S-400 Triumf air defence missile.
There has been mounting concerns in India over the US sanctions against Russian defence majors including Rosoboron export as billions of dollars of military purchases may be impacted because of the punitive measure.
The US had announced sanctions against Russia under the strict law after its interference in the American presidential election in 2016.
The US government under CAATSA are entitled to punish the entities which are engage in significant transaction with the defence or intelligence establishment of Russia.
India wants to acquire the long-range missile for tightening its air defence mechanism.
In 2016, India and Russia had signed an agreement on the ‘Triumf’ interceptor-based missile system which can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km. S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.
The S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300 systems. The missile system, manufactured by Almaz-Antey, has been in service in Russia since 2007.
