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India, Russia ink S-400 missile deal

By The Assam Tribune

NEW DELHI, Oct 5 - Brushing aside US threats of sanctions, India and Russia today concluded a deal for supply of S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile system giving a substantial boost to air defence capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

The $5.4 billion (around Rs 40,000 crore) deal was concluded during the 19th India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, though both the leaders made no mention of it in their statement to the media, apparently in view of the sensitivities involving the United States that has been pressing India not to go ahead with the deal.

Nor was the missile contract part of the signing ceremony for eight deals inked by the two sides in the presence of the two leaders covering areas of space cooperation, railways, nuclear cooperation, fertilisers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

An indication of the missile deal being concluded came in the joint statement issued by the two sides shortly after the talks between the leaders.

�The (two) sides welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system to India,� said the joint statement.

The S-400 deal has been an issue of much speculation after the Trump administration�s law � Countering America�s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act � came into effect in January aimed at countries doing business with Russian, Iranian and North Korean defence companies. US has so far declined to make any exception to India by way of a waiver.

In his address to the media, Modi said that India-Russia relations are unique and that President Putin has personally contributed to it. � IANS

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