explained | Will India be approved for S-400 purchase?

the story So Far: India is preparing for the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the annual bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early December, but it will be missing the $5.4 billion long-range surface-to-air missile defense shield”s “It’s arrival. -400”, is also expected next month, which is likely to make more international headlines. The United States government has made it clear that the delivery of five S-400 systems has been banned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA). ) is considered a “significant transaction”, which could trigger sanctions against Indian officials and the government.

What kind of restrictions?

CAATSA is designed to ensure that no country is able to increase military engagement with Iran, North Korea, and Russia without facing deterrent punitive action from the US, sanctions are unilateral, and any UN sanctions. are not part of the decision, and therefore no country is bound. to accept them. The legislation, which was pushed forward by Democrat congressional representatives, was signed by President Donald Trump under some opposition, as he was eager to improve relations with Russia at the time, and also a deal between Korea. were expecting. Section 231 states that the president shall impose at least five different sanctions on any government that enters into a significant defense or intelligence deal with the Russian government. Section 235 lists 12 options, including withholding credit lines from US and international banks such as the IMF, stopping the sale of licensed goods and technology, imposing sanctions on banks, manufacturers and suppliers, property transactions and even specific Includes financial and visa restrictions on officials (https://bit.ly/3wFWLTr). However, the law empowers the president to waive or delay sanctions if he certifies that the deal does not pose a threat to the US and allies, that the waiver of sanctions is in America’s “significant national security interests” or that the country is “adversarial”. accepted promises to reduce its future dependence on the country”.

Has the US Used CAATSA Before Selling the S-400?

The US has already imposed sanctions on China and Turkey for the purchase of the S-400. In 2018, the State Department said that it, along with the Treasury Department, would impose sanctions on the People’s Liberation Army’s Equipment Development Department, and in particular its director, Li Shangfu, for purchasing equipment related to the S-400 system. and Sukhoi-35 fighter aircraft from Russian defense exporter Rosoboronexport. Sanctions included denial of export licenses, restrictions on foreign exchange transactions, blocking of interests in all property and assets within US jurisdiction, and visa restrictions (https://bit.ly/3qwSGzJ). In 2020, the US approved its NATO partner Turkey, which it had warned about CAATSA sanctions for years, in addition to canceling a deal to sell Ankara F-35 jets. Sanctions on Turkey’s main defense procurement agency, the SSB, also included restrictions on licenses and loans, and blocking of credit and visas to SSB President Ismail Demir and other officials. While US officials are hopeful that sanctions and a promised sale of F-16 jets will thwart Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s plan to deploy the S-400, an impasse continues (https://bit.ly/3gLyP9f ).

Which side is the Biden administration leaning on India?

The Biden administration has so far not given any concrete indications on its leanings on India’s case. Last month, during a visit to Delhi, US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said that the US had made it clear that the S-400 was “dangerous and in no one’s security interest”, but after India took delivery of the sanctions. But the determination left. Missiles to President Biden himself (https://bit.ly/30oR6Fq). In the following weeks, congressional representatives including the chairman of the powerful House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), Gregory Meeks, a Democrat, as well as several Republicans, have called on the Biden administration to consider a special exemption for India. importance as a defense partner, and as a strategic partner on US concerns in China and the Quad. “From a perspective, the potential of our long-term strategic partnership with India, and its positive impact on our own security interests, certainly outweighs any benefit from sanctioning India the purchase of the S-400, ” Wealth. Meeks told Hindu (https://bit.ly/3Dfp2mj).

On the other hand, in April 2021, ahead of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Delhi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (also a Democrat) urged Mr Austin to take up the S-400 issue with Indian officials , and make it clear that there may be restrictions on purchases. “If India chooses to proceed with the purchase of the S-400, this act would clearly constitute a significant, and therefore sanctioned, transaction with the Russian defense sector under Section 231 of CAATSA. This sensitive military technology will also limit India’s ability to work with the US on the development and procurement of the U.S. government,” Mr Menendez wrote in his letter (https://bit.ly/3kB4i0V).

Saudi Arabia is also reportedly in talks with Russia for the S-400, and some experts in the US believe that giving India a waiver would be a bad sign for others to proceed with similar deals. want. When External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh are due to meet their US counterparts in Washington in the next few weeks, New Delhi may get a clearer picture of which way the US will go.

What is the status of India?

India has not faced US opposition so far, and is scheduled to receive the first S-400 delivery in December. In preparation for the induction, two teams of Indian Air Force technicians were trained this year in Russia on the system by the manufacturer, Almaz Ante. After signing the deal in October 2018, during Mr Putin’s last visit to Delhi, India and Russia protected advance payments from triggering US sanctions by ensuring rupee-ruble transfers. In response to questions about Ms Sherman’s harsh comments on the S-400, the State Department acknowledged that the issue had been “under discussion” between India and the US for some time. “It was taken up, and we have discussed it and explained our point of view. And discussions are on on it,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a non-committal response in October.

Why is the S-400 deal so important for India?

Senior Indian officials have firmly stated that the S-400 is of great importance to India’s national security, especially as it faces new threats from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling it a “game changer”. The system will also bridge the air defense capability gap due to the dwindling fighter squadron strength of the IAF. It would be much easier to integrate the S-400 into the national air defense architecture as India has a large number of legacy Russian air defense systems, a major reason why India did not consider US air defense systems as a viable option. For both political and operational reasons, the deal is of no avail. Asked about the threat of US sanctions, outgoing Indian Ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Verma said Hindu That India “will do what we have to do and that is necessary for India to preserve and protect its national security interests”. Furthermore, buying the S-400 is a way for the Narendra Modi government to assert its ‘strategic autonomy’. This stated tenet of Indian foreign policy faltered under pressure from the Trump administration, when India agreed to stop buying Iranian oil in 2019 over the threat of sanctions, a move that caused both financial and reputational damage to India. Not accepting US unilateral sanctions on the S-400 would be a way to restore some of them.

,With inputs from Dinkar Perik,