Dmitry SherHunter
Saudi Arabia may buy weapons from Russia due to US refusal
Andrey Ermolov 29.01.2021, 20:53
Saudi Arabia plans to buy from Russia the S-400 Triumph air defense system, Su-35 fighters and other weapons after the US temporary ban on the sale of weapons to the kingdom, writes the American edition of The National Interest. At the same time, the publication admits that the plans of Riyadh are already facing stiff resistance from Washington.
The administration of US President Joe Biden announced a temporary freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, as part of a new White House team's strategy to reassess relations between Washington and Riyadh.
However, the Saudis have no shortage of other arms exporters competing with the US in the market. For example, Russia provides equipment in which Saudi Arabia is interested, writes the American edition of The National Interest.
For example, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly studied the possibility of purchasing the Russian S-400 Triumph missile defense system. In 2009 and 2017, news emerged that the Saudis had reached an agreement with Moscow to purchase several S-400 divisions.
In September 2019, Saudi air defense failed to effectively repel a drone attack on the world's largest crude oil refinery in Abkaik in the east of the country and on a refinery in the Hurais oil field. Both facilities are owned by oil giant Saudi Aramco.
In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Riyadh should buy S-300 or S-400 complexes to protect its refineries. "It is enough for the political leadership of Saudi Arabia to make a wise decision of the state, as the leaders of Iran did in their time by purchasing the S-300, and the President [of Turkey Recep Tayyip] Erdogan did it by purchasing the latest S-400 Triumph air defense systems from Russia," said head of the Russian Federation .
At the moment, it seems that the only obstacle to signing the S-400 import agreement is Saudi Arabia's fears of an imminent US response in the form of sanctions and cuts in foreign aid costs, writes NI.
Riyadh is also showing interest in the Russian Su-35 generation 4 multipurpose super-maneuverable fighter.
“The Royal Saudi Air Force roster consists of just under 200 aging F-15 Eagles. In 2017, the Kremlin offered to upgrade Riyadh's fleet with Su-35 fighters, one of Russia's leading air superiority aircraft and one of the most successful export fighters, ”the NI report says.
At the same time, the author of the material admits that, as in the case of the S-400, Saudi Arabia's plans for the purchase of fighters are likely already facing stiff resistance from Washington.
In addition, in 2019, Riyadh struck a deal with Russian defense giant Rostec for the production of the AK-103, an assault rifle derived from the AK-74M chambered for 7.62 × 39 mm, and signed an agreement to import these weapons.
In addition, in 2017, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) signed a major contract with Rosoboronexport for the production of TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems, developed on the basis of the Soviet T-72 main battle tank.
"TOS-1A is designed to be used against light armored vehicles and will support the motorized divisions of the Saudi Arabian army," the article explains.
Finally, SAMI has already purchased the Kornet-EM, an improved version of the 9M133 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), which boasts anti-jamming capabilities in addition to improved tracking functionality that allows it to be operated on a fire-and-forget basis.
The fact that the White House has decided to temporarily ban the sale of arms to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, wrote on the eve of The Wall Street Journal, citing sources in Washington's government circles.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, aides to the head of state "are evaluating billions of dollars in arms transactions" approved during the presidency of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump .
Washington, in particular, wants to be sure that the weapons in question will not be used in Yemen, the WSJ explained .
As US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said after this information appeared , Washington believes that Saudi Arabia's actions against Yemen have caused the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.
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Russian MoD
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