US Senate approves Pentagon ban on Rosoboronexport deals
RIA News. The Senate of the United States approved an amendment to the country's defense budget, which prohibits the Pentagon to make deals with the Russian company Rosoboronexport, including the purchase of helicopters for Afghanistan.
Voting took place on Thursday late in the evening, the amendment was approved unanimously. The ban will come into effect after the president signs the law on the defense budget. Currently, the document is being considered by the upper house of the congress.
The author of the document was the Republican senator from Texas, John Cornyn. He explained the intention to make a document so that the United States should prevent the actions of Russia, allegedly providing support to the Syrian authorities.
“American taxpayers should not indirectly finance mass killings of Syrian citizens, especially when purchases (equipment for Afghanistan) can be made from American manufacturers. Continuing ties with Rosoboronexport, we undermine the US policy towards Syria and the US efforts to support the Syrian people "- said in a statement Kornina, distributed on Friday.
In late July, a similar amendment was adopted by the House of Representatives.
The ban on cooperation with Rosoboronexport was discussed at the congress in March 2012, when a number of parliamentarians appealed to the head of the Pentagon not to buy Russian military equipment for Afghanistan.
The agreement on the purchase of ten Mi-17 helicopters is in addition to the current contract concluded in May 2011. It provided for the delivery of the 21 Mi-17B-5 helicopter, spare parts and equipment for Afghanistan. According to US sources, the total cost of the agreement is estimated at 900 million dollars. According to Russian media, the price of the basic supply was 367,5 million dollars.
A month ago, the Pentagon stated that it did not intend to abandon this contract.
In 2008, the US has already imposed sanctions on Rosoboronexport, accusing it of allegedly violating the non-proliferation regime by supplying Iran weapon. The company itself and the Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not violate the non-proliferation regime and are negotiating to supply only defensive weapons to Iran that are not subject to UN restrictions. The sanctions against Rosoboronexport were lifted by the Barack Obama administration in May 2010.
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