US votes to waive sanctions act for India despite Russian arms deal

Washington’s approval of a waiver to protect India against possible US sanctions for ordering a Russian defense system is a sign it does not want to jeopardize ties with New Delhi amid China’s military rise in the Indo-Pacific region, experts say.

Delhi signed a $5 billion deal with Moscow for the purchase of an S-400 Triumph air defense missile system during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in 2018, despite the threat posed by the US’ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

Under the legislation, the US can sanction any country that has “significant transactions” with Iran, North Korea or Russia.

India-USA

While the US has imposed sanctions on Turkey for buying the S-400 system, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a waiver to the act specifically for India “to help deter aggressors like China.”

The motion, which still needs to be approved by the Senate, comes amid Western pressure on Delhi to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India has so far abstained from UN resolutions censuring Moscow, its longtime ally and main provider of weapons.

Read More : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2123126/world

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bitcoin set for biggest weekly gain in nine months

Taiwan accuses Beijing of simulating invasion as US-China relations nosedive

Delhi excise policy row: Manish Sisodia blames L-G for ‘last-minute U-turn’