- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA on Friday (28) said that it pursues an independent foreign policy which also applies to its defence acquisitions and supplies that are guided by national interest.
The ministry of external affairs said this a day after the United States expressed concern over New Delhi buying the S-400 missile system deal from Russia.
Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said while India has a comprehensive global strategic partnership with the US, it also shares a special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia.
He said this in response to a query about remarks made by the US state department that Russia’s selling the military hardware to India “shines a spotlight on the destabilising role” that the Kremlin is playing in the region and potentially beyond.
The US and the west are currently confronting Russia over military deployment near its border with Ukraine. The mobilisation has stoked fears of a Russian invasion of the country which was once part of the former Soviet Union and US president Joe Biden has warned that there is a “distinct possibility” of Moscow invading Ukraine next month, according to sources in the White House.
On Thursday (27), US state department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press briefing that “when it comes to CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions…we haven’t made a determination with regard to this tension, but it’s something we continue to discuss with the Government of India given the risk of sanctions for this particular transaction under CAATSA”.
CAATSA is a tough US law that was brought during the presidency of Donald Trump in 2017 and authorises the administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defence hardware from Russia.
When asked about the issue, Bagchi told reporters, “We pursue an independent foreign policy. This also applies to our defence acquisitions and supplies which are guided by our national security interest.”
In October 2018, India signed the deal with Russia worth $5 billion to buy five units of the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system, despite a warning from the then Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.
India has asserted that its decisions are based on its national interest to protect its national security. The US has been urging all countries to avoid major new transactions for Russian weapon systems, Price said, amidst the escalating tensions over Ukraine.
(With PTI inputs)
