‘Sooner than you think’: Trump vows swift reaction to India’s S-400 purchase from Russia

10 Oct, 2018 21:18 / Updated 4 years ago

US President Donald Trump said India will soon “find out” what Washington prepared in response to its purchase of advanced Russian S-400 missile defense systems in defiance of America’s pressure.

India and Russia signed a contract for Russia’s S-400 air defense system last Friday during President Vladimir Putin’s visit. The move makes India a target for US sanctions under the implemented Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATS).

Asked about US reaction to New Delhi’s defiance on Wednesday, Trump said it will come swiftly, but would not elaborate. “You’ll see. Sooner than you think,” he said.

India is the third foreign nation to purchase the state-of-art weapon system after China and Turkey.

The Trump administration placed the Chinese military procurement body and its head under financial sanctions for buying Russian arms, but is yet to deliver any punitive action against Ankara.

Turkey, a NATO member, insists that it can defend its national security however it sees fit.

The S-400 Triumf is the latest iteration of the long-range anti-aircraft system produced by Almaz-Antey.

It can engage aircraft up to 400km away and tactical ballistic missiles up to 60km away. The Russian armed forces have been replacing older S-300 batteries with the S-400s since 2007.

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