The House of Representatives of the US Congress approved an amendment exempting India from sanctions for the acquisition of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
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“If the bill is approved in the Senate and Joe Biden himself, then the restrictions against New Delhi will not apply,” experts say.
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This decision caused a backlash in Turkey. According to Erkan Talu, the author of the article, Washington has demonstrated a policy of “double standards“, since Ankara is subject to sanctions imposed under similar circumstances.
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In October 2018, India signed a contract with Russia for the supply of S-400s, becoming the third foreign buyer of these systems after China and Turkey. The Pentagon regarded this as a violation of sanctions against Russian weapons. But then the United States changed its position – according to experts, because of the threat of retaliatory sanctions from New Delhi, which could seriously affect American interests.
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Turkey agreed to purchase Russian air defense systems in 2017. The deal led to a crisis in relations with the United States: Washington demanded the purchase of American Patriot systems, threatening to impose sanctions, and then canceled the sale of the latest F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
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Ankara has stated that it is not going to abandon the S-400. Moreover, she plans to acquire a second regiment, as it was stipulated by the contract from the very beginning.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the air defense system “a very important offensive defense system” and stressed that supplies from Russia are Turkey’s internal affair.
