‘India should get sanctions waiver’

‘India should get sanctions waiver’

Context

Mattis seeks changes in anti-Russia law

What has happened?

The Secretary of State should be allowed to grant waiver to countries such as India that will otherwise come under American sanctions under a new law that intends to target Russia, Secretary of Defense James Mattis told lawmakers on Thursday

The issue

• The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) mandates the U.S. President to impose sanctions on entities that have transactions with Russian defence and intelligence sectors
• India being a close defence partner of Russia is a potential target of such sanctions, along with some other key American allies such as Vietnam and Turkey
• The law allows the President to issue waivers under national security considerations. Typically, American punitive laws comes with waiver authority vested in the Secretary of State.
• Testifying before a Senate panel, Mr. Mattis asked lawmakers to change CAATSA and empower the Secretary of State.