US considers sanctioning India for S-400 missile defence system deal with Russia

The Biden administration is considering applying sanctions on India for the purchase of missile systems from Russia, US diplomat Donald Lu said on Wednesday.

India acquired the long-range S-400 air defence system from Russia in 2018 for nearly $5.5 billion, with the stated aim of protecting itself from attacks from China or Pakistan, its two biggest regional rivals.

The US administration is required by the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law to sanction any country that has significant transactions with Russia, Iran or North Korea, including the purchase of military hardware.

Responding to a question about the US sanctioning India, Lu, the Assistant Secretary of State of South and Central Asia, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee that: "The administration will follow the CAATSA law and fully implement that law and will consult with Congress as we move forward with any of them".

New Delhi has walked a diplomatic tightrope during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, refusing to condemn the Kremlin but calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 

India has close defence ties to both the United States and Russia, having worked with both powers throughout its history as an independent state.

India was famously the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, when the government decided it would side neither with the United States nor the Soviet Union during the Cold War.