MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Russia and India have settled the issue of the Indian side’s advance payment for the delivery of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, the press office of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation told TASS on Thursday.
"The contract for S-400s will be implemented in compliance with the accords reached and the documents signed. The issue of making an advance payment under the contract has been resolved. We are not commenting on the details," the press office said.
New Delhi announced its intention to acquire Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems back in 2015. The delivery contract worth $5.43 billion was signed during the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to India last year. The deal infuriated Washington, which is threatening to impose sanctions on the states that are acquiring weapons and military hardware from Russia. However, India says it does not intend to give up the deal for the purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems.
The S-400 ‘Triumf’ is the most advanced long-range air defense missile system that went into service in Russia in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and can also be used against ground installations. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km.
Russia has also inked the contracts for the delivery of these systems with China (the first customer) and Turkey.
Russia vows to deliver S-400 missile systems to India on schedule
Russia will take all efforts to deliver S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India on schedule, Minister Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in India Roman Babushkin said on Wednesday.
"The term of the contract’s implementation is well known: by 2023, these systems must be delivered to India. Russia is ready to take all necessary efforts to follow the time parameters of this agreement," he said at a news conference dedicated to the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September, on the sidelines of which a traditional summit meeting of Russian President Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take place.
"We proceed from the fact that the contract will be implemented in full in accordance with the interests of both countries and the accords reached. We intend to strictly comply with them," he added.
Responding to a question about whether Moscow and New Delhi had agreed on mutual settlements in the national currencies upon the signing of the defense contracts, the diplomat noted this was quite a specific sphere.
"Both sides are interested in making the settlements maximally protected from the negative impact of external factors, such as financial and political restrictions, which are imposed unilaterally by other countries," the Russian diplomat stressed.
"Work in this area is undoubtedly underway," he added.