US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster has asked India to choose between buying Russian S-400 or relations with the US, otherwise it will receive punishment.
Mr. Kenneth Juster said that US law allows the imposition of severe sanctions on countries implementing contracts to purchase Russian weapons and weapons that are not produced by the US and its allies. glare.
“Sanctions do not apply to friends and allies. India keeps good cooperation with the US, they have to make a choice: S-400 or the US”, Ambassador Kenneth Juster said.
The US-India defense relationship comes at a trade-off because if New Delhi chooses the S-400 they will not have access to the latest weapons and technology from the United States, along with a good relationship with the US. The statement was made by Mr. Kenneth Juster after the US imposed sanctions on Turkey – a NATO member for buying and commissioning the Russian S-400 system.
“The US government and its defense industry have been researching, manufacturing, and selling various types of weapons and military equipment that are classified as secret to India. But that won’t happen and New Delhi is still there. must be punished if they still decide to own the S-400 “, the US ambassador expressed.
The US statement is quite clear, but experts say that the US is always aware that it is difficult to punish India because the S-400 deal because the US always considers India an important partner. and reliable that the country does not want to lose.
That is reflected in the fact that Mr. James Mattis, from his time as defense minister, wanted the Senate to exempt India from the CAATSA Act. And the Commander of the US Pacific Command (PACOM), Admiral Harry Harris said, India is creating a strategic opportunity for US defense contractors.
Defense deals between the US and India have grown from nearly zero to $ 15 billion since 2008, and Indian arms maker Tata Advanced Systems is seen as a key US partner.
Harpoon missiles, Apache helicopters and the US Chinook are all partly produced in India. Meanwhile, the US corporations Lockheed Martin and Boeing do not want to lose India because of Russia.
Another reason that makes it difficult for the US to turn away from India is oil. India is still a potential oil consumption market of the US. In August 2018, US oil exports to India increased by more than 20%.
The United States is now one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world, and a major rival to Russia, the non-OPEC country.
In the field of oil and gas exports, the US may beat Russia in the European market, but for India, it is a different story. Because India is a growing market and there is always room for growth.
Observers said that, in the context of increasingly close cooperation between India and Russia, it would be wrong for the US to launch a political and trade war with Russia in India.
Therefore, the US’s imposition of the CAATSA Act on India after the S-400 missile system deal with Russia is almost impossible, but only in statements.