CAATSA not to damage military capabilities of allies but, costs to Russia: US
On Friday, October 5, 2018 after India and Russia signed S-400 deal, US said that CAATSA is not made to damage military capabilities of allies and partners but to impose costs on Russia for its malign behaviour.
US embassy spokesperson said that CAATSA section 231 will be considered case by case and nothing can be prejudged about the sanctions on purchase of S-400 by India. He said that CAATSA is not to damage military capabilities of allies and partners.
US embassy spokesperson quoted as saying by PTI news agency, “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 decisions”.
Spokesperson said, “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”. He added, “The waiver authority is not for a blanket waiver. It is transaction-specific. There are strict criteria for considering a waiver”.
#CAATSA not intended to damage military capabilities of our allies: US on S-400 deal pic.twitter.com/dmaEnjvezt
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) October 6, 2018
The spokesperson said that no decision is made yet about sanctions on India for S-400 purchase and US doesn’t want to penalize a strategic and defence partner like India.
He said, “There’s been no decision made. But I will share that we do understand the history, right, of India’s relationship with Russia and legacy systems. Our effort here, too, is not to penalize great strategic partners like India, a major defence partner. The sanctions aren’t intended to adversely impact countries like India. They are intended to – have an impact on the sanctioned country, which is Russia”.
Earlier US threatened to sanction countries which deals with Russia’s defence and intelligence sector, but on request of India to provide relief from sanctions on purchase of S-400 missile system, US amended section 231 of CAATSA to consider waiver in sanctions for its partners and allies.
