US strangles Russian arms exports: Other truths

Confirm the results?

According to RT, in a recent report to Congress, US officials said the US government has decided not to impose new sanctions against Russia.

According to US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, the goal of the sanctions is to prevent Moscow from profiting from the sale of weapons and military equipment.

The above goal has been achieved when, under the pressure of current sanctions, governments around the world have had to cancel many multi-billion dollar agreements with Russia, especially defense corporations.

“Since the enactment of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), we estimate that foreign governments have canceled billions of dollars worth of Russian arms sales.

Because large defense contracts typically involve long timeframes, the results of this effort are only just beginning to become clear,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert revealed.

The US State Department spokesman added that Congress had received a confidential report on this matter.

"From this assessment, if the law is effectively applied, there is no need to impose sanctions on specific Russian entities or individuals, because in fact, the law is used as a deterrent," Ms. Nauert affirmed.

Russian military exhibition

In an interview with Sputnik after the US announcement, political expert Yuri Svetov said that the US sanctions are purely economic sanctions.

''Many countries have welcomed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Countries that have traditionally purchased American weapons are now planning to purchase Russian weapons...

The world's largest arms supplier is the United States. Russia is second but is showing signs of high growth, so the United States needs to block and deprive Russia of the arms market,'' said Mr. Yuri Svetov.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich stressed that Moscow considers the sanctions "counterproductive and meaningless".

The US statement seems to affirm that the US sanctions against Russia have brought complete success in restraining the Russian defense industry. However, in reality, Moscow has been proving a different truth.

Rise up strong

Russia has been one of the world's leading arms exporters, second only to the United States over the past five years.

According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US's share of the global arms market is about 33%, while Russia accounts for 23%. In 2016, Russia's arms exports increased by 3.8% to $26.6 billion.

Russia's arms sales are expected to increase in 2017, according to data provided by British military analysis firm Jane's Information Group.

Although exact figures for 2017 are not yet available, some Rosoboronexport leaders said that Russia has reached a $2.5 billion deal to sell S-400s to Türkiye, despite NATO's objections.

Russia has also held talks with Indonesia about buying a squadron of 11 SU-35 fighter jets for $1.14 billion.

Russian S-400 air defense missile system

In 2017, Russia surprised the world by announcing the export of the S-400 missile defense system not only to Serbia, Russia's traditional partner in the Balkans, but also to Türkiye, a NATO pillar in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia, America's historic ally in the Gulf.

In 2015 and 2016, the amount of money earned from selling weapons of Russia reached about 15 billion USD/year. Russia still maintained 23% of the total market share of global arms trade in the period 2012-2016. Russia's arms exports are assessed to be in a stable state.

According to Russia's arms producer Rosoboronexport, the company has $45 billion worth of export orders this year.

Rosoboronexport is actively engaged in trade with more than 50 countries around the world. Contracts for the purchase of Russian high-tech systems, primarily aircraft and air defense equipment, make up a significant part of the purchase lists.

Russian defense enterprises have increased production by more than 10% compared to last year. This also contributes to the success of the Russian economy during the period of sanctions from many sides in Europe and the United States.