With India close to completing its negotiations with the Russian side on sale of S-400 Triumf missile defence system, the United States has now indicated that it is not at all sanguine about it.
It is now learnt that the US toughen its stance and block the sale of Predator armed drones that India keenly wants to acquire to target the terror camps across the Line of Control.
This was indicated by William Thornberry, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who is visiting India.
Talking to a private news network, William Thornberry said that US won’t feel comfortable if India goes ahead and busy the S-400 missile defence from Russia.
Thornberry, who oversees the Pentagon, all US Military Services and the US Department of Defence agencies, said the acquisition of the Russian system would also complicate the issue of work interoperably in the future between the Indian and US forces.
It need be mentioned that the Trump administration had cleared the export of armed, unmanned drones to close strategic partners such as India.
This is when India is also developing its own such system called Rustom II.
It need be recalled that only earlier this year, the United States passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Russia for allegedly getting involved in the US election process.
He also said that neither will there be an India-specific exemption to CAATSA.
