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.
China was sanctioned in 2018 and Turkey in 2020.
In a recent development of immense significance, all transactions between India and Russian state-owned weapons seller Rosoboronexport now are carried in rupees and roubles after having totally abandoned settlements in the US currency.
Alexander Mikheyev, head of the Russian state arms seller Rosoboronexport, said on December 7, 2021: “Rosoboronexport has almost fully abandoned settlement in the US currency. As far as India is concerned, all mutual settlements are carried out in rubles and rupees.”
Russia, already been threatened by the US and Western countries with severe sanctions if it invades Ukraine, is already getting isolated and is hence on the lookout for nations that have the capability to snide the US.
Significantly, on December 6, 2021, during his one-day visit to New Delhi, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said: "We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov elaborated further: "Our Indian friends clearly explained that they are a sovereign country and that they will decide whose weapons to buy and who will be India's partner."
And this week, Roman Babushkin, the deputy Russian ambassador to India, told a daily in an interview: "The S-400 decision is a very strong example of how advanced our defence and strategic partnership is, and how strong Indian sovereignty is, to choose its international partners, especially when it comes to issues of national interest and national security."
India has already started receiving components of the S-400 system as part of the $5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five columns of S-400 missiles by 2023.
The S-500 surface-to-air missile system has a range of about 600 km and can intercept and destroy intercontinental ballistic, hypersonic cruise missiles and intruding aircraft.
