India need not compromise on national interest

World listens to power and the powerful. Even the US! That is the conclusion one could draw when Donald Trump skirts around the issue of S-400 sale by Russia to India. Modi 2.0 has been empowered by Indians to make the right deals for India without being afraid of any foreign power.

As the visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was told the other day by the Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar that India's national interests would be at the top of the talks, the US administration and Trump himself have agreed to it indirectly or even grudgingly. The US has been pressurising India to drop the system that competes with US Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems. The US could use its CAATSA Act as the last resort.

But in doing so, it may antagonise the world's biggest importer of arms. A buyer has more power if the commodity is arms and ammunition. Pompeo left India saying, "great friends are bound to have differences". The US should understand that on some outstanding issues related to trade, a constructive and pragmatic view is needed.

As the Indian Foreign Minister said the true maturity lies in figuring out a solution, something that has not worked out so effectively between the two countries in the recent past. The US should also realise that India has had longstanding relationships with several countries in the world. These have a history that cannot be set aside for the limited purpose of anyone.

The US concerns arise out of the fear that its own defence trade with India would come down if the S-400 sale goes through. Turkey is a full-fledged NATO member, yet Washington has had little luck talking Anakra into giving up on the S-400. Turkey has repeatedly snubbed threats of sanctions and even warnings that it would be kicked out of the F-35 programme if the deal with Moscow goes through.

Turkey had gone ahead and already paid even first instalment of $1.25 billion for the F-35 project and is prepared to drag the US to international arbitration court if the US says no to the project. No leader worth his salt would like to look weak in the face of American threats. Similarly, coming to India, it is the biggest buyer if the US is the biggest seller and in business parlance, the buyer is always right.

India was the world's largest importer of major arms in 2012-16 accounting for 13 per cent of the global total sales. In fact, there is no limit to its imports in future too as it is on a drive to modernise its forces in the face of hostilities with Pakistan and not so good relations with China.

India has inked a series of contracts during the last few years for fighter jets, special operations aircraft, submarine hunter planes, lightweight howitzers, artillery guns and other weapons and systems. Russia is the country's top arms supplier which accounted for 62 per cent of imports in 2013-17. There is no need for India to compromise on its national interest.