WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2021) US Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner have sent a joint message to President Joe Biden advising him against applying the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to India for its purchase of weapons from Russia.
In October 2018, Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the supply of five regimental sets of S-400 air defense systems worth more than $5 billion.
"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," Republican Senator Cornyn and Democratic Senator Warner said in a letter sent to Biden.
The senators believe a waiver can be applied in this case because India has reduced the volume of imports of Russian military equipment over the past few years. The sanctions could strengthen the position of those political forces in India that do not see the United States as a reliable partner, and, as a result, the restrictions could "thwart the Indian government's efforts and long-term strategy to reduce Russian purchases and reliance on Russian defense hardware," according to the letter.
In addition, sanctions can negatively impact a strategic partnership between the United States and India, the senators say.
At the same time, Warner and Cornyn point out that they share the president's concern about the "Indian integration of Russian equipment" and advise the administration to continue to discuss this issue constructively with New Delhi.
The senators suggest that the administration create a bilateral working group "to identify ways to promote the security of U.S. technology, and to chart a path forward to develop strategies to enhance U.S.-India military interoperability." These measures, according to Cornyn and Warner, will strengthen India's position as a major defense partner and can also help Washington to resist China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
