US defense secretary urges India to avoid buying Russian equipment

In his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has urged India to avoid buying Russian equipment.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed India’s planned purchase of Russia’s S400 air defence system at a meeting with his Indian counterpart on Saturday, reiterating U.S. allies should steer clear of Russian equipment to avoid sanctions. “We certainly urge all our allies, our partners to move away from Russian equipment ... and really avoid any kind of acquisitions that would trigger sanctions on our behalf,” Austin told reporters in New Delhi. No S400 systems have been delivered to India and so the possibility of sanctions was not discussed, he said.