US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who is in New Delhi for the ongoing India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue said on Thursday that there has been no decision yet on concessions to India from the US sanctions against Russia to enable New Delhi's planned purchase of the S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems. He, however, asserted that efforts are on to ensure that India is not penalized.
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"There's been no decision made….Our effort here is not to penalize a great strategic partner like India," Pompeo told traveling reporters after 2+2 ministerial talks were held in New Delhi.
Sources in the Indian establishment told Sputnik that the two countries may initiate a separate dialogue solely on the issue of the sanctions waiver.
The controversy gathered momentum just ahead of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue when Randall Schriver, the US assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, made a reference to the proposed deal on August 29 during an event in Washington, saying that the S-400 "is a system that's particularly troubling for a lot of reasons, and I think our strong preference…. is to seek alternatives."
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"If they (India) choose to go down that route like I said, I can't sit here and tell you today that the waiver will necessarily be used," Schriver had said on August 29.
