Media: Indonesia has Postponed the Purchase of Russian Fighters Due to US Sanctions‍

05 Oktober 2018

Su-35 fighter (photo : Komotoz)

MOSCOW - RIA News. The implementation of the Russian-Indonesian contract for the supply of 11 Su-35 fighters to Jakarta has been delayed due to possible US sanctions, the Kommersant newspaper reports, citing two top managers of defense enterprises and a source close to the government.

According to the newspaper, restrictive measures that Washington is ready to introduce within the framework of the Law on Countering the Opponents of the United States through Sanctions (CAATSA) have had an effect on the delivery time of the Su-35. "The US has not given Indonesia guarantees not to apply restrictive measures," the newspaper writes.

At the same time, Kommersant notes that the contract for the supply of Su-35 retains its legal force.

In addition, according to the newspaper, Russia also has difficulties. “When implementing the contract, it was planned to use a credit scheme, funds for which would be allocated by one of the commercial banks. But this is fraught with serious consequences for him, because in the US they regard this loan as cooperation with Rosoboronexport and impose sanctions against the bank,” the newspaper writes.

One of the interlocutors of the publication called the situation "unpleasant, but in no way critical." "We are in constant contact with our Indonesian partners, looking for ways out of the situation," he added.

Supply of Su-35 to Indonesia

In September, the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Mohammad Wahid Supriyadi said that Indonesia expects to receive the first Su-35 in October 2019.

Prior to this, the diplomat stated that Indonesia expects delivery of the first of 11 Russian Su-35 aircraft by October 2018. In June, he said that Indonesia had signed an agreement with Russia to purchase 11 newest Sukhoi aircraft, calling the deal “very large.” Earlier, Director of International Cooperation and Regional Policy of Rostec State Corporation Viktor Kladov said that Indonesia could purchase an additional batch of Su-35 fighter jets while allocating the necessary funds from the country's budget.

According to the Director General of the Foreign Trade Department of the Indonesian Ministry of Commerce, Oke Noorwan, the cost of the deal to buy 11 Russian aircraft is estimated at 1.14 billion dollars He noted that, according to the terms of the agreement, Russia needs to purchase a number of goods from Indonesia, including palm oil, coffee, tea and rubber, worth about 570 million dollars.

(RIA Novosti)