Russia-made warships set to join Indian Navy despite US sanctions

Russia-made warships set to join Indian Navy despite US sanctions

India will receive two Russian-made warships in the next few months despite US sanctions complications, according to senior Indian officials. The delivery of the warships, part of a four-ship deal signed in 2018, has been delayed due to the war in Ukraine. While two frigates will be handed over to India in the near future, the other two are being built in India in collaboration with Russia but are also facing delays. The warships were supposed to utilize gas turbines made in Ukraine, but the trade halt between Ukraine and Russia led India to acquire the turbines through a third country. US sanctions on Russia for its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict caused disruptions in weapons delivery to India, as the two countries struggled to find a payment mechanism that complied with the sanctions. However, India and Russia, as strategic partners, have managed to overcome the payments issue. India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Navy, and Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the matter. Currently, India is paying for Russian weapons using Indian rupees, alongside a mix of other currencies such as UAE dirhams and US dollars to pay for crude oil imports from Russia. Despite its efforts to diversify its weapons imports by purchasing more from the US and France, Russia remains India’s largest supplier of military hardware, accounting for 36% of India’s arms imports, based on data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This marks the first time in six decades that Russia’s share has fallen below 50% of India’s weapons imports, as mentioned in a recent SIPRI report.

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TIS Staff

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