New Delhi: Once again, with a renewed offer to sell the advanced S-500 air defence missile system, Russia is prodding India to dare the US as the possible fallout could yield strategic gains to Russia.
Underlining eagerness, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, on Monday, told a state-owned TV channel of his country’s standing offer to sell its most advanced S-500 'Prometei' anti-aircraft missile system to India: "Beyond a doubt, once we deliver this system to our troops, India will be the first on the list, if it expresses its desire to buy these advanced armaments."
Interestingly, in November, Dmitry Shugayev, director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, is quoted to have said: "We consider India, as well as China and all the states that we have a long-standing, partner and predictable relations with as prospective buyers of this latest system (S-500)."
"We have concluded a contract for the S-400 and they (India) will receive the first battalion set of this system by the year-end. That is why it is quite logical that they will display their interest in the foreseeable future and request the S-500 from us as well."
While the first S-500 system is expected to be delivered to the Russian military this year itself, the first exports may well take place by 2030.
Russia’s eagerness to sell the advanced system to India is also because any further import of Russian military equipment by India will set the India-US relationship on a divergent path.
Till now, the US has not waived off sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for India for buying the S-400 air defence system from Russia.
A US waiver is also difficult given the fact that it was not accorded to key NATO ally Turkey which also bought the Russian S-400.
Other than India and Turkey, China has also bought and even deployed the powerful S-400 system and has openly rebuffed the US.