The United States efforts to dissuade its allies and partners from buying large defence systems from Russia using the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanction Act (CAATSA) seems to be running into a brick wall with India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia likely to go ahead with S-400 missile defence systems purchase from Moscow.
The CAATSA requires that the countries that have significant defence cooperation with Russia can be sanctioned by the US for no fault of theirs except that they have entered into a commercial buyer-seller agreement with a Russian defence industry entity.
“We have discussed CAATSA with the Government of India just as we have discussed with a number of others who might be potentially contemplating purchase of large defense systems from Russians. We want to work with all of our partners to help them identify and avoid engaging in any potentially sanctionable activity,” Tina Kaidanow, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, who returned from India recently was quoted as saying by the Hindu Saturday.
Although, the US official makes it clear the section 231 of CAATSA can be applied to any third-nation firm or individual can face penalty if it engages in a significant transaction with Russian defence or intelligence sectors, at this point of time, it is certainly not working according to the US plans.
“In all our engagements with the US, we have clearly explained how India and Russia's defence cooperation has been going on for a long time and that it is a time tested relationship.