US sanctions will not impact India-Russia defence ties
India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on 5 June that US sanctions on Russia military exports would not impact long-standing ties between New Delhi and one of its key arms suppliers Moscow.
US President Donald Trump in August 2017 signed a law threatening sanctions on any country doing business with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors.
The sanctions regime affects American allies like India, which has purchased Russian military hardware and expertise for decades.
India, the world’s top defence importer, had been in talks with Russia to buy S-400 long range surface-to-air missile systems when the sanctions were announced.
There had been speculation in 2017 when the sanctions were signed into law that the $6 billion weapons deal could be scuttled.
But Sitharaman said the long-running negotiations ‘have reached the final stage.’
She told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the sanctions: ‘I like to make it clear here that in all our engagements with the US, we have very clearly explained how India and Russia’s defence cooperation is something which has been going on for a very long time.
‘It is a time tested relationship. And India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia. Assets, spares, servicing – we have a continuous relationship with Russia. The sanctions cannot be impacting on us on this particular characteristic of India’s Russia defence co-operation.’
India has increasingly turned to the US and France for arms purchases in recent years, but is still reliant on Russia hardware and expertise to maintain its existing arsenal.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
