"A move could derail deepening cooperation with India”: US Senators urge Biden to waive CAATSA sanctions against India

 

In 2018, India and Russia signed the $5.43 billion for the purchase of five S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. Following this, the United States has been mulling CAATSA sanctions on India. CAATSA is a tough US law that authorises the administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defence hardware from Russia in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

 

In the letter, Democratic Party Senator Mark Warner and his Republican colleague John Cornyn said that though India signed a deal with Russia for the purchase of the S-400 missile system, such transactions between the two countries were on a decline.

 

"While India has taken significant steps to reduce its purchases of Russian military equipment, it has a long history of purchasing arms from the Soviet Union, and later Russia. In 2018, India formally agreed to purchase Russian S-400 Triumf air-defence 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 CAATSA, which was enacted to hold Russia accountable for its malign behaviour," the letter by the duo read.

 

Moreover pointing out that India has taken significant steps to reduce its purchases of Russian military equipment they said that, "We believe that a waiver for India is appropriate for several reasons," adding that “Imposing sanctions at this time could derail deepening cooperation with India across all aspects of our bilateral relationship - from vaccines to defense cooperation, from energy strategy to technology sharing.”

 

 

They said, "As such, 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."

 

They also pointed out that the US Congress had set up criteria for determining the appropriateness of waiving CAATSA sanctions. The 2019 National Defence Authorisation Act allows the President to issue a waiver if doing so is in the national interest, and if it would not endanger US national security, adversely affect US military operations, or compromise US defence systems, they said.

 

While accepting the administration's concern over India's defence purchases from Russia, they also suggested that the message could be conveyed to New Delhi through the diplomatic machinery by engaging with Indian officials and supporting alternatives to Russian equipment.

 

"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 said.

.

.