‘India can’t wish away defence ties with Russia’

New Delhi: Ahead of the strategically-important India-US talks, diplomatic sources on Tuesday said India meets the US waiver criteria for procuring the S-400 missile defence system from sanctions-hit Russia, and asserted that New Delhi cannot “wish away” its defence ties with Moscow.

Besides India’s missile defence system deal with Russia, terrorism, H-1B visas, trade and the situation arising out of US sanctions on buying oil from Iran, are likely to be discussed on Wednesday during the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo, who arrived here late Tuesday evening.

Pompeo’s talks here will be the first high-level interaction between the two countries after return of the Modi government to power last month.