Home › Security › What India's S-400 purchase meant for sanctions
What India's S-400 purchase meant for sanctions
Summary
A look back at the Russian missile deal that placed India in the path of US sanctions law.
What did India's purchase of the S-400 missile system mean for its relations with Washington? On 5 October 2018, India bought the Russian-made system, a deal that potentially exposed it to US sanctions under CAATSA.
The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. It works by preventing US companies from doing business with sanctioned entities. The Senate passed it on 27 July 2017 by 98 votes to 2, after the House approved it by 419 to 3. President Donald Trump signed it on 2 August 2017, although he believed the legislation was seriously flawed.
Why the purchase mattered
The S-400 deal was part of the Russian defence industry's export business. Because the sanctions law targets Russia, India's purchase raised the prospect that a third country could be caught by measures aimed at Moscow. As reported at the time, that possibility of CAATSA penalties was the central risk attached to the agreement.
For readers in Kyiv and across the region, the episode showed how Russian arms sales had become tied to the reach of US sanctions policy.
