India has inked yet another deal worth $3 billion for the lease of a nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia for 10 years, despite the threat of US sanctions being imposed on nations trading militarily with Moscow.
The latest deal is being said to have taken months to negotiate and could not have been realised at a more opportune time for India. It gives New Delhi much-needed teeth in the Indian Ocean as it embroils in rising tension with Pakistan. The agreement also helps India counter the growing Chinese influence in the region.
While the defence ministry has not yet confirmed the developments, media reports suggest that the submarine, third leased from Russia, would be ready by 2025.
Russia continues to build upon its alliance with India formed during the Cold War and supplies the bulk of the country’s arsenal.
Last October, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and signed a deal regarding Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system worth $ 5.2 billion.
There also remain Indian fears, same as those of the US, about China’s growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi has traditionally held sway. In 2017, India and China had a showdown over a Himalayan plateau with claims from Beijing and Bhutan, India’s close ally. Then again, China has carved its footprint in Sri Lanka and Maldives through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has traditionally claimed the two countries under its influence. On February 26, India much-touted its successful targeting of a militant training camp in Pakistan in the wake of a suicide bombing in Indian-held Kashmir. Pakistan has denied such claims.
Published in Daily Times, March 9th 2019.
