The defence ministry has cleared the proposed Rs 39,000 crore deal. Despite the United States threat looming over against engaging in significant transactions with Russia, India is moving towards its military-technical cooperation with Moscow by acquiring five S-400 Russain air missile systems.
The procurement case will now go to the finance ministry for clearance and the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security for the final nod, a source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
“The country’s top political leadership will have to take a call on when the actual contract can be inked,” the source added. The defence acquisitions council (DAC) had on Thursday approved the “minor deviations” that had popped up during the recently-conducted negotiations with Russia. The DAC, according to the reports, was held just a few days the US cancelled a dialogue between Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman with Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis.
Also Read : India looking forward to sign the S-400 Triumf missile deal with Russia
Officials in New Delhi had earlier said that India and Russia are now trying to find a way out to evade the provisions of a US law which seeks to punish countries and entities engaged in transactions with the defence or intelligence establishment of Russia. Both sides are now looking at ways to insulate the deal from the sanctions announced by the US against Russia under its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
The US had announced sanctions against Russia under the stringent law for its alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016. However, despite the US threat, India’s Ambassador to Russia Saran had said that India will not back out of buying S-400s.
On June 1, Russia said it was preparing to supply S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile systems to India and both governments were “simply discussing” the terms. “Precontract preparations are underway on the supplies of S-400 anti-aircraft missile complexes to India. It is difficult to say yet how much time they will take. There is an agreement between governments and now we are simply discussing the terms,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.
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