US senators urge Biden in opposition to punitive sanctions on India for S-400 missiles cope with Russia

Two highly effective US Senators on Tuesday urged President Joe Biden to not impose provisions of the punitive Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) in opposition to India for getting the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia.

In a letter to Biden, Senators Mark Warner of the Democratic Party and John Cornyn of the Republican Party urged the president to grant a nationwide curiosity waiver to India as offered below CAATSA as that is in America’s nationwide safety curiosity.“We strongly encourage you to grant a CAATSA waiver to India for its planned purchase of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system. In cases where granting a waiver would advance the national security interests of the U.S., this waiver authority, as written into the law by Congress, allows the President additional discretion in applying sanctions,” the 2 Senators wrote.Warner is Chairman of the Senate Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Cornyn Senate Minority Whip for the GOP. Both are co-chairs of the Senate India caucus, the one nation particular caucus within the US Senate.“We share your concerns regarding the purchase and the continued Indian integration of Russian equipment, even with these declining sales. We would encourage your administration to continue reinforcing this concern to Indian officials, and engaging with them constructively to continue supporting alternatives to their purchasing Russian equipment,” they wrote.ALSO READ | Post PM Modi-Biden meet, focus now on shifting forward on vary of points: White HomeIn October 2018, India signed a $5 billion cope with Russia to purchase 5 items of the S-400 air defence missile methods, however warning from the then Trump administration that going forward with the contract could set off US sanctions below CAATSA.The S-400 is named Russia’s most superior long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.CAATSA is a tricky US regulation which authorises the administration to impose sanctions on international locations that buy main defence {hardware} from Russia in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling within the 2016 US presidential elections.In their letter, the 2 senators wrote that whereas India has taken vital steps to cut back its purchases of Russian navy tools, it has an extended historical past of buying arms from the Soviet Union, and later Russia.“In 2018, India formally agreed to purchase Russian S-400 Triumf air-defense systems after having signed an initial agreement with Russia two years prior. We are concerned that the upcoming transfer of these systems will trigger sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was enacted to hold Russia accountable for its malign behaviour,” they stated.CAATSA’s provisions, together with sanctions concentrating on Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors, function an vital software for the US authorities to discourage Russian arms purchases world wide.Why the IAF desires the S-400 missile | India Today Insight“However, in the case of this current S-400 transaction involving India, we believe that the application of CAATSA sanctions could have a deleterious effect on a strategic partnership with India, while at the same time, not achieve the intended purpose of deterring Russian arms sales,” the 2 Senators argued.Warner and Cornyn stated that the Congress established standards for figuring out the appropriateness of waiving CAATSA sanctions. Specifically, the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defence Authorisation Act permits the President to situation a waiver if doing so is within the nationwide curiosity, and if it might not endanger US nationwide safety, adversely have an effect on US navy operations, or compromise US defence methods.“We believe that a waiver for India is appropriate for several reasons,” they argued.“First, India has taken significant steps to reduce its imports of Russian military hardware in recent years. From 2016 to 2020, there was a 53 per cent drop in Russian arms exports to India compared to the preceding five-year period,” the letter stated.“Meanwhile, India has shown its intent to purchase equipment from the United States, with sales reaching $3.4 billion in FY20. These are positive trends that show India’s effort to reduce reliance on Russian equipment, and a desire to take advantage of its new status as a Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) partner,” they wrote.“Second, we believe there is a national security imperative to waiving sanctions. Imposing sanctions at this time could derail deepening cooperation with India across all aspects of our bilateral relationship from vaccines to defence cooperation, from energy strategy to technology sharing,” they stated.ALSO READ | India’s rising closeness to US shouldn’t fear Russia: India’s Ambassador to Moscow“Furthermore, sanctions have the potential to embolden critics within India who warn that the United States will not be a consistent and reliable partner for cooperation, and to thwart the Indian government’s efforts and long-term strategy to reduce Russian purchases and reliance on Russian defence hardware,” the 2 senators wrote.“We share your concerns regarding the purchase and the continued Indian integration of Russian equipment, even with these declining sales. We would encourage your administration to continue reinforcing this concern to Indian officials, and engaging with them constructively to continue supporting alternatives to their purchasing Russian equipment,” they stated.“We also propose that your administration establish a bilateral working group to identify ways to promote the security of US technology, and to chart a path forward to develop strategies to enhance US-India military interoperability. We believe these actions reinforce India’s status as a Major Defense Partner and will provide another avenue to counter PRC influence in the Indo-Pacific,” the 2 Senators wrote.