Nazia Nazar
A day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was poised to host Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US had expressed its displeasure over India’s planned purchase of Russia’s S-400 air-defense missile systems, and asked India to abandon the proposed deal. Washington is targeting Russia’s defense industry and those who do business with the country using a sanctions power mandated by Congress last year. Last month, the Treasury and State Departments sanctioned China’s Equipment Development Department for its recent purchases of Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighters and S-400 missiles from Russia. At this point in time, granting India a sanctions waiver for a more-than $5 billion deal involving one of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems could undermine Washington’s campaign against Moscow. Officials said the move was intended to send a message to other countries considering similar Russian arms deals.
India has declined to back out of the deal with the Kremlin, with a signing ceremony expected during Mr. Putin’s trip. Russia has long been the biggest source of New Delhi’s military equipment, and its supply of spare parts and maintenance services remains crucial to India’s defense needs. Indian military planners see the S-400 surface-to-air missile system – capable of tracking and taking down aircraft hundreds of miles away – as an important asset against Pakistan and China. The Indian market remains crucial to Russia’s arms industry, which was the world’s second-largest exporter last year. Harsh V. Pant, head of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation said that “imposing sanctions would be disruptive, and would revive old debates and suspicions in India about the U.S.’s agenda, which could prove counter-productive.”
There is a perception that in view of India’s huge market and the fact that Washington is pushing for new security arrangements in Asia that hinge on bringing India, Japan and Australia together in response to China’s increasingly assertive stance in the region, it will not slap sanction against India. India’s purchases of U.S. military equipment during the 2013-17 period rose by more than 500% from the previous five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Richard M. Rossow, an expert in U.S.-India policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the U.S. would likely give India a waiver because of longer-term security objectives. The U.S. has tried, so far without success, to persuade NATO ally Turkey to abandon a deal to procure the S-400 system from Russia; and India is likely to continue with the deal despite America’s persuasion.
In a recent analysis on the planned Russia-India deal, Ashley Tellis, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the Trump administration sees purchases of the S-400 by either rivals or allies as “a conspicuous danger to U.S. military operations,” largely because the systems help to constrain the deployment of forces and their freedom to maneuver. So far, U.S. officials have given mixed signals on New Delhi’s planned acquisition. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in April cited the U.S.’s relations with India and Vietnam when he asked Congress to give the U.S. government the power to waive Russia-related sanctions. In August, Assistant Defense Secretary for Asia Randall Schriver, said: “The impression that we are going to completely protect the India relationship, insulate India from any fallout from this legislation no matter what they do was a bit misleading.”
Last week, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the country’s highest government body responsible for defense procurement and final arbiter on national security issues headed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quietly cleared the last hurdle for the intended acquisition of five regiments of Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defense systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), according to government sources. The CCS purportedly cleared the purchase of the five S-400 regiments on September 26, paving the way for the signing of a sales contract at a summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for October 5. As of October 1, however, the Indian government had not publicly confirmed that the CCS approved the $5.5 billion acquisition.
