Sanctions cannot disrupt our partnership: Russia

Bengaluru: A day after the threat of sanctions against India for going ahead with the S 400 air defence system purchase re-surfaced, Russia has said that no coercive action can disrupt the `special and strategic’ partnership and both nations have made it clear that they are going ahead with weapon deliveries.“It is in the interest of both nations to go ahead. Our partnership is complimentary and important for ensuring security. No sanctions will disrupt our special and strategic partnership,” Russian deputy chief of mission Roman Babushkin told ET.The comments come after the US urged India to refrain from military transactions with Russia, saying that there is no blanket waiver under its sanctions act for the recent S 400 purchase, in first comments on the tricky issue after the Biden administration come to power.Sources have told ET that the first deliveries of the controversial air defence system are expected to take place at the end of this year, possibly around October and an Indian military team is already undergoing training to operate the system in Russia.Babushkin said that the defence relationship with India is special and that a large Russian delegation of over 100 participants is present at AeroIndia to take relations `to a new level’. The two sides also held a joint Military Industrial Conference (MIC) on Wednesday, with several partnership agreements signed with Russian companies that are collaborating with Indian private sector companies for maintenance and overhaul work for in service weapon systems.“Our unparalleled defence cooperation is based on ever growing extraoridinary mutual interest, coherence, consistence, complementarianism and continuity,” the Russian diplomat said at the joint conference, adding that both sides will shortly go ahead with a military logistics sharing pact.Among the agreements signed on Wednesday was a pact between OSK India Pvt Ltd with the United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia, to provide product and services support to Indian Navy platforms like Kilo class submarines and the under construction P 1135.6 frigates.

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