OREANDA-NEWS. Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniyan Jayshankar said that Washington shouldn't tell New Delhi who to buy or not to buy military equipment from, including the issue of acquiring S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia. "We have always argued that our procurement, the selection of suppliers of military equipment is an absolutely sovereign right", Jaishankar told reporters during a visit to Washington. His words on Tuesday are the Indian television channel.

"We wouldn't want some state to tell us what to buy or not to buy from Russia; how and if some state would tell us whether to buy or not to buy from America", he said. "This is our freedom of choice, and we think that it is in the interest of all to recognize this," said the Foreign Minister of India. At the same time, Jaishankar admitted that India is discussing with the United States "Washington's concerns" about the acquisition of S-400 air defense systems from Moscow.

The Indian side wanted to buy the Russian complex 4 years ago. The contract for the supply of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system worth $ 5.43 billion was signed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India last year. This caused serious dissatisfaction with Washington, which threatens to impose sanctions on states acquiring weapons and military equipment from Russia.

The Russian Federation and the United States, which are actively developing military aviation, have achieved significant success in various fields. Russian aircraft are superior to American in maneuverability, and are also equipped with powerful infrared search and target tracking systems. Americans are more widely using the capabilities of radars with active phased arrays and are betting on reducing the radar visibility of their vehicles.