The US said on Friday that its intent to slap sanctions on Russia was not aimed at imposing damage to the military capabilities of its “allies or partners”, in a guarded reaction shortly after India inked a deal for the purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.

“Waivers of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) section 231 will be considered on a transaction-by-transaction basis. We cannot prejudge any sanctions decision,” a US embassy spokesperson said, adding that there are strict criteria for considering waivers.

CAATSA is meant to punish Russia for its activities in Ukraine, and the US last month imposed sanctions against China for acquiring Russian military hardware, including S-400 systems, under the provision.

“The intent of our implementation of CAATSA is to impose costs on Russia for its malign behaviour, including by stopping the flow of money to Russia’s defence sector. CAATSA is not intended to impose damage to the military capabilities of our allies or partners,” the spokesperson said.

Peter Layton, from Australia’s Griffith Asia Institute, told CNN that the problem for the US is that if it allows India to acquire the S-400, there is no reason why it shouldn’t allow other countries, such as Turkey, to do so.

“The CAATSA will appear a rather subjective sanction programme if it only applies to some nations and not all,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has the power to grant a waiver of the CAATSA sanctions, and top officials in his administration have pushed India’s case.

“There have been enough signals that India’s case will be considered sympathetically. Of course, we don’t really know given the Trump administration and Mr Trump being Mr Trump,” Harsh V Pant, a professor in international relations at King’s College London, told CNN.

Unlike China, India is seen as an important US ally and any move by the Trump administration to punish the country would have far-reaching implications.

Agencies letters@hindustantimes.com

Courtesy: Hindustan Times : 6 Sep 2018