(Source: 1945 – Peter Suciu) – Will Russia’s S-400 Drive A Wedge Between U.S. And India?

Shipments of the Russian-built S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft to India are reportedly proceeding according to schedule, and Indian military specialists have arrived in Russia to begin operational training on the air defense platform.

S-400 to India: A History

New Delhi had announced its intention to purchase the Russian S-400 in 2015 and according to the terms of the deal, India will receive shipments for five regiment kits for a reported $5.43 billion. The deal was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in October 2018.

“Indian specialists have arrived in Russia in January and began training in operation of this system,” Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Deputy Director Vladimir Drozhzhov told TASS during this week’s Aero India 2021 air and aerospace trade show. (…)

The United States imposed sanctions on Turkey in December for its acquisition of the S-400 under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The Trump administration has pressured India to back out of the deal and noted that New Delhi did not have a wide waver from the 2017 U.S. law that was aimed at deterring countries from buying Russian military hardware. It is widely understood that CAATSA does not have any blanket or country-specific waiver provisions.

That position is unlikely to change under the Biden administration (…)

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