The S-400 is one of the world’s most advanced long-range air defence systems. It can engage up to 36 targets at a time and simultaneously launch 72 missiles.
NEW DELHI: India signed a $5.43 billion deal to purchase five advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia, overriding a threat of sanctions from the US.
The deal was finalized after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi.
India now risks being sanctioned under Washington’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which targets countries that purchase arms from Russia.
CAATSA was passed to sanction any country that trades with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors.The US did not spare China from sanctions last month when it purchased the S-400 systems and fighter jets.
India has already requested the US for a waiver to escape American sanctions on Russian military exports. PM Modi and Mr Putin, who held their annual summit, did not mention the S-400 deal in their respective press statements.
Putin said that Russia would work with India to boost bilateral cooperation in the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and G20.
The Russian leader also said both nations would coordinate counter-terrorism efforts. Modi noted that both countries support a multipolar world.
Now India has imported around $15 billion of arms from the US in the past 10 years. However, the improving ties between India and Russia could hit its relation with the US, say experts.
India has requested a waiver from US sanctions intended to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea and alleged interference in the 2016 US elections.
The signing of the deal assumes significance as China, too, has signed a deal with Russia to procure the same missile system.
