WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has approved a bill amendment that would shield India from financial penalties for acquiring Russian weaponry.
The Senate still needs to ratify the Thursday afternoon-passed amendment pertaining to India before President Joe Biden can sign it.
It calls on the Biden administration to grant India a waiver from the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which could result in immediate sanctions against New Delhi for purchasing weapons from Moscow. It was written and introduced by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna.
The amendment makes the case that such a waiver is necessary to limit China’s sway in the area. As a part of an en bloc amendment during floor discussion of the US defence bill for 2023, it was approved by voice vote.India is regarded by the United States as a crucial ally in its campaign to contain China’s expanding worldwide influence, and it is a member of the alliance known as “Quad” that seeks to contain China in the Pacific.
CAATSA, which was passed by the US Congress in 2017, enables sanctions to be taken against any nation that conducts business with the Russian defence and intelligence industries.
After New Delhi signed a contract with Moscow to obtain the S-400 missile defence system in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war, CAATSA became a bone of contention in India-US relations.
India has also broken US sanctions by purchasing Russian oil.
At a legislative hearing in May, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Bob Menendez, noted that the Indians “go buy oil from Russia. They purchase the [anti-missile system] S-400. Even when they abstain at the UN [on votes criticising Russia], they were never penalised for these transgressions.
