WASHINGTON- The United States cannot expect India to abruptly stop usingRussian military hardware, a top US military commander has told the USSenate. India’s use of Russian arms came up during a hearing on how thewording of a recent US law imposing sanctions on Russia could hurt theAmerican relationship with its partners and allies.

The law in question is the Countering America’s Adversaries ThroughSanctions Act (CAATSA), which was passed by the US Congress in July 2017and signed into law by Donald Trump in August. The law is aimed atsanctioning Russia for its interference in the 2016 US elections and itscontinued military engagements in Ukraine and Syria. The law also imposessanctions on individuals and countries that deal with Russia’s intelligenceand defence sectors.

And these are the provisions that could put the US foreign policy anddefence establishment in a bind with their expanding cooperation withIndia. Considering India’s continuing and significant use of Russianmilitary hardware and its joint development of defence projects likeBrahMos and the negotiations over the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, it would qualify tobe sanctioned by the US government under Section 231 of CAATSA.

The sanctions include blocking of licences and permissions for any USentity to export a significantly large number of items to India. Therestrictions on this front would include any arms sale or the transfer ofnuclear equipment or technology.

The US and India are in the process of working out multiple nuclear powerplant and arms sale projects.

The strains that CAATSA could place on the India-US relationship was infocus at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of the US Pacific Command, told thecommittee that India is “a key partner and a great strategic opportunity”.