NEW DELHI – India is going ahead with the purchase of S-400 air defencesystems from Russia despite American concerns, and has told the U.S. thatit is for them to address concerns over its recent Russia sanctions,Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the 2+2 talks between the Defence and External Affairs Ministersand their U.S. counterparts, which was postponed in early July, is likelyto be held in the first week of September, the Minister said.

“We have made it clear that CAATSA is a U.S. law and not a UN law,” Ms.Sitharaman said, talking to reporters in her South Block office.

This has been conveyed to a delegation of the U.S. Congress, headed byChairman of the U.S. House Armed Service Committee Mac Thornberry, whichwas in New Delhi in May. Asked if the law did not apply to India, Ms.Sitharaman said “Of course it does not.”

The U.S. has passed the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries ThroughSanctions Act) that proposes to impose sanctions on nations that havesignificant defence relations with Russia. While the U.S. Administrationhas said waivers will be incorporated in it to protect friends and allies,it is yet to be done. This has generated significant concern in India whichis heavily dependent on Russia for military hardware.

On the S-400 deal, Ms Sitharaman said negotiations have reached a“conclusive stage” with Russia. Last month, India and Russia had concludedcommercial negotiations for the purchase of five S-400 systems worth over₹39,000 crore. The deal is expected to be announced later this year.

On the foundational agreement, Communications, Compatibility, SecurityAgreement (COMCASA) — which will enable Indian military to obtain encryptedcommunication systems from the U.S., Ms. Sitharaman indicated that noagreement has been reached yet. “I don’t think final positions have beenarrived at all,” she said.

After years of reluctance, India had agreed to move ahead on COMCASA and inthe last few months both sides made progress in addressing New Delhi’sconcerns in the draft.