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494746
Fri, 06/08/2018 - 14:41
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New Delhi won’t renege on S-400 deal despite US pressure, vows Indian envoy to Russia

MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/. India is committed to all agreements with Russia in the military and technical area, including supplies of S-400 Triumf air and missile defense systems, Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran told TASS. "We are committed to all our agreements in this sphere, including purchase of S-400," he said when asked whether the US pressure might influence the talks on the contract. According to the diplomat, the sides "have achieved significant progress in the negotiations," though the diplomat declined to fix any time-frame. "India has a long history of military-technical cooperation with Russia based on trust and mutual benefit. There is no change in the approach of India to our partnership in this field," he stressed. Indian media reported earlier that the country’s defense ministry expects an approval from the Governmental Committee on Security (CCS) to buy S-400 complexes from Russia for a total of around $5.5 bln. The reports sparked concern in Washington. Particularly, the Chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee William Thornberry said in an interview with NDTV, that India’s S-400 purchases from Russia might affect the defense collaboration between India and the United States. India’s defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman said June 5, that Moscow and New Delhi had reached the final stage of negotiations on the S-400 deal. The S-400 Triumf is a Russian long- and mid-range anti-aircraft missile system designed to hit attack and reconnaissance aircraft (including aerial vehicles based on stealth technology) and any other air targets under conditions of intensive enemy fire and electronic countermeasures. As of January 2018, contracts for S-400 deliveries were inked with China and Turkey. In addition, negotiations to sell the systems to Saudi Arabia are underway. Read more

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