US warns India against buying Russian S-400

"India will find out soon. You will find out sooner than you think," US President Donald Trump said when asked by reporters about the US reaction to India signing a contract to buy the S-400 air defense missile system from Russia.RTreport

India’s $5.43 billion S-400 deal could lead to sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). India is currently exempt from CAATSA, but Trump’s statement could refer to removing India from the exemption list.NDTVcomment.

India is the third country to buy the Russian S-400 system, after China and Türkiye. In September 2018, the US imposed sanctions on a Chinese military unit and its head over China's purchase of Russian Su-35 fighters and S-400 systems. The US is freezing the delivery of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey for similar reasons.

Earlier, the US State Department warned that it would remove India from the CAATSA sanctions exemption list if it pursued the S-400 purchase from Russia. "The exemption is a restriction for countries to abandon Russian equipment but accept spare parts for previously purchased equipment," a spokesman for the US National Security Council said.

Despite knowing that New Delhi could face sanctions from Washington, Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat said the country's army still wants to buy Kamov helicopters and many modern weapons and technologies from Russia to enhance its combat capabilities.

Economic TimesThe deal with Russia could affect US plans to transfer defense technology to India, negatively impacting US exports of drones and Patriot missiles abroad.