NEW DELHI -- Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India for an annual summit with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month, Russia has begun supplying S-400 Triumf missile systems to India, giving a boost to New Delhi's air defense capabilities along its volatile borders with China and Pakistan.
The $5.43 billion deal to buy five surface-to-air missile systems for the Indian Air Force was concluded between India and Russia in 2018. The deliveries risk triggering U.S. sanctions against India under the 2017 "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (CAATSA), which imposes economic penalties on countries that purchase Russian military hardware. The threat comes despite New Delhi's strong defense and strategic ties with Washington: The two countries make up half the Quad, which is widely seen as aimed at limiting China's influence in the Indo-Pacific.
