Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday hailed the S-400 air defence missile systems deal between India and his country, saying the US tried to strong-arm India into opting out of the pact but New Delhi went through anyway.
“We witnessed attempts on the part of the United States to undermine this cooperation and to make India obey the American orders, to follow the American vision of how this region should be developed,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
“Our Indian friends clearly and firmly explained that they are a sovereign country. They will decide whose weapons to buy and who is going to be a partner of India in this and in other areas,” Lavrov, who is in India, said.
The Russian foreign minister was referring to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that the US uses to bring sanctions against nations that have economic and defence ties to Russia, North Korea and Iran.
