India vows to go ahead defying US

India has vowed to go ahead with a Rs 39,000-crore defence deal with Russia to procure S-400 air defence missile systems notwithstanding the US sanctions on military transactions with Moscow.

Asked about the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, under which the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on military deals with Russia, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that it is an American law and not a UN law and India has conveyed its position on the issue to the US.

"Our defence relation with Russia has endured several decades and we have conveyed it to a US Congressional delegation which visited India recently," Sitharaman said. She said negotiations with Russia for the S-400 missile deal have almost come to a conclusion.

Sitharaman said “The US secretary of state and secretary of defence have taken a position of understanding of India's position. They realize that with India, we need to have a different position.”

The Indian defence minister said it may take two and half to four years to implement the S-400 missile deal after it is signed. India wants to procure the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly along the nearly 4,000-km-long border with China.