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“We clearly urge all our allies, our partners to stay away from Russian equipment and absolutely avoid any kind of acquisition that would trigger sanctions on our behalf,” Austin said upon arriving in New Delhi.
“No S-400 systems have been delivered to India so the possibility of sanctions is not discussed,” he continued, as reported by Reuters on Sunday (21/3/2021).
The US last year imposed sanctions on Turkey for buying the S-400 system.Also read: Indian schoolbooks claim terrorism is part of the ‘Islamic thread’
Meanwhile, India made an initial payment of USD 800 million in 2019 for the purchase of weapons and a series of air defense systems, which are expected to arrive later this year.
As well as blocking India from buying Russian weapons, Austin’s visit to New Delhi is part of an effort to forge an alliance of nations trying to fight China in the region.
“India, in particular, is an increasingly important partner among today’s rapidly changing international dynamics,” Austin explained, following a meeting with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.Also read: Pentagon boss visits India, urged to bother buying Russian S-400
“We discussed opportunities to enhance the main US-India defense partnership and we will do so through regional security cooperation and military to military and defense trade interactions,” he added.
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