Washington: October 2: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that India had conveyed its decision to buy the S-400 missile system from Russia to the Trump administration and expressed confidence that the US would understand its rationale.
A Russian journalist questioned the possibility of US sanctions on India under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) due to the decision to buy the ‘S-400 Triumph’ missile defense system, to which Jaishankar said, ‘India has decided on the S-400 and we have also talked to the US government on this. I am confident of my ability to convince them’.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who visited the US on Monday, defended India’s right to purchase a missile defense system from Russia, despite the threat of United States sanctions.
Speaking to reporters before meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said that India was discussing the concerns of the United States, but he pre-empted any final decision to buy the S-400 from Russia.
(Input from GNS)