The US State Department: No decision yet to exempt India from sanctions after it received the Russian S-400 air defense system

The US State Department said, on Monday, that the US has not taken any decision yet on the possibility of exempting India from any sanctions against the background of its receipt of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

The Russian system’s purchase threatens to impose US sanctions on India under the Countering America’s Adversaries Act (CAATSA), which authorizes economic sanctions against entities that purchase weapons from the Russian defense industry.

A US State Department spokesperson, Edward Price said responding to reporters, on condition of anonymity, that the administration of President Joe Biden had not yet made a decision “on a possible waiver of sanctions in relation to India’s arms deals with Russia”.

However, he added that CAATSA doesn’t contain a comprehensive or country-specific exemption clause.