The United States would not like to penalize India for its possible purchase of Russian S-400 Triumph air defense systems and is considering granting a sanctions waiver to the country, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press briefing on Thursday in New Delhi.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) The United States would not like to penalize India for its possible purchase of Russian S-400 Triumph air defense systems and is considering granting a sanctions waiver to the country, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press briefing on Thursday in New Delhi.
"Our effort here, too, is not to penalize great strategic partners like India, a major defense partner," Pompeo said. "The sanctions aren't intended to adversely impact countries like India."
However, the US top diplomat also said that no final decision on sanctions waiver for New Delhi has been made yet.
Pompeo noted the goal of the sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is to have an impact on Russia, not partners like India.
In July, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that talks between India and Russia on the delivery of the S-400s have reached a final stage. If the purchase contract is finalized, India will become the third country after China and Turkey to buy the Russian air defense system.
