Philippines violates US sanctions if it moves forward with arms deal with Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - The Philippines is at risk of violating sanctions imposed by the US if Manila continues to proceed with the purchase of grenade launchers from a Russian company blacklisted by Washington.
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| Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP |
The deal could be a test of Manila’s longstanding security alliance with Washington. A senior Philippine general familiar with the deal said Manila agreed in October to buy 750 RPG-7B grenade launchers worth 400 million pesos ($7.48 million) from Russia’s state-owned Rosoboronexport, but the transfer has not yet been completed.
US sanctions imposed last year target any country that conducts business with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors. The move was aimed at punishing Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, its support for the Syrian government and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
Russia has provided the Philippines with rifles and trucks, but the grenade launchers would be Manila’s first arms purchase from Moscow. The Philippines has long relied on the United States for military hardware and support.
If it goes ahead, the deal could add to tensions in the nearly 70-year-old security alliance. Rosoboronexport was blacklisted in April.
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| Manila receives 5,000 rifles and 20 large military trucks. Photo: AP |
US allies that buy weapons and equipment from Russia, the world's second-largest arms exporter, would also be penalized and could see the transfer of such weapons disrupted.
However, US State Department officials refused to announce specific sanctions that the US could impose on the Philippines if it moves forward with the purchase with Rosoboronexport.For its part, an unnamed Philippine defense official said the US has not yet officially notified Manila about the restrictions on Rosoboronexport.
Philippine security expert Jose Antonio Custodio warned that the Russian arms deal could affect Manila's security relations with its allies, not only with the US but also Japan and Australia./.
