US lawmakers urge punitive measures against Russian S-400 sales

“We are writing today to specifically inquire about reported negotiations between Russia and certain countries over sales of the Russian government’s S-400 air defense system and whether these reported deals could trigger mandatory CAATSA sanctions,” the letter from the group led by Senator Bob Menendez stated on Friday. “Under any circumstance, a S-400 sale would be considered a ‘significant transaction’ and we expect that any sale would result in designations.”

The lawmakers urged the State Department to provide details of Russian S-400 negotiations with China, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, and other countries after the Congressional Research Service revealed that Russia has been working on such potential defense deals.

The Indian Air Force has expressed its desire to buy five S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems by the year 2022. If the proposed deal with Russia is signed, it would be one of the biggest arms contracts India has ever signed with Russia.

Russia will be speeding up deliveries to Turkey the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Sputnik News this week.  The S-400 – better known to NATO as the SA-21 “Growler” – with orders to engage all hostile aircraft, has been a game-changer in Syria.

Russia began delivery of an unknown number of S-400 advanced interceptors to China under a 2014 government-to-government contract, in January this year.

The US request was made only a day after the US Treasury Department cited the new CAATSA legislation signed into law by president Trump last year, to impose sanctions on five entities and 19 individuals. Russia has repeatedly denied all allegations as “absurd”.

Russia’s Foreign ministry meanwhile issued a statement declaring 23 employees of the British embassy in Moscow personae non gratae. It also announced the closure of the British Council in Russia due to its “unregulated status”.

Russia has in addition revoked the operation of the UK Consulate General in St. Petersburg due to “disparity in the number of consulate facilities of the two countries”.

Accusations against Russia poisoning the former GRU officer Sergei Skripal are designed to manufacture public opinion for the use of military force by Western countries against the Russian Federation, the chairman of the Council of Foreign Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev.

He reacted to the joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Britain, Germany and France, who have accused Moscow of carrying out a chemical attack on British soil.

A large-scale aggression operation against Russia was organised using the tools of information, political and economic power, Kosachev said. They are preparing public opinion for the possibility of using military force, he added.

He also noted that the British side has not yet submitted any facts, samples and other evidence, including at the meeting of the UN Security Council – because “there is nothing to show”.