India-Russia S 400 Deal: The deal signed was signed between India and Russia in 2018.
The United States has made attempts to undermine India-Russia cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said as Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India today.
The India-Russia S-400 deal has "a very important practical meaning for Indian defence capability", the envoy further said adding that the defence deal has been implemented.
"We witnessed attempts on the part of the United States to undermine this cooperation & to make India obey the American orders, to follow the American vision of how this region should be developed," Lavrov said criticising pressure made by US on India with regards to the S-400 deal.
The purchase of Russia's S-400 advanced missile by India resulted in censure from the United States. Earlier, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for the purchase of S-400 missile defences.
Although no such sanctions have been imposed by US on India, the deal is a major challenge to the relationship between the Biden administration and New Delhi.
"Our Indian friends clearly & firmly explained that they are a sovereign country & they will decide whose weapons to buy and who is going to be a partner of India in this & other areas", Russia's Foreign Minister said attempting to undermine the role that US plays in the missile deal.
India has also pushed forth on the S-400 deal with Russia despite the threat of sanctions."Government takes sovereign decisions based on threat perception, operational and technological aspects to keep the Armed Forces in a state of readiness to meet the entire spectrum of security challenges," junior Defence Minister Ajay Bhatt on the deal in Parliament.
The advanced missile system will help India tackle air threats from up to 400 km, thus becoming a gamechanger for the country in an adverse neighbourhood.