The Main Intelligence Department of the Russian Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) has claimed that the United States is actively working to scuttle Russian arms exports to countries in the Asia-Pacific, a theatre where Washington is expanding its own influence to counter China’s rise.
Speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security, Igor Kostyukov, the chief of the Main Intelligence Department of the Russian Defense Ministry, claimed that the US is blackmailing Asia-Pacific nations to prevent them from fulfilling their arms deals with Russia, as reported by the Russian Interfax news agency.
“By blackmailing countries of the Asia Pacific region with the threat of sanctions, Washington is obstructing the implementation of Russian contracts for delivering S-400 air defense missile systems to India, Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft and Mil Mi-17 helicopters to Indonesia, and Mi-171 helicopters to the Philippines.
It is also seeking to disrupt planned military-technical cooperation between Russia and Vietnam,” Kostyukov said.
Kostyukov singled out the issue of S-400 delivery to India, without elaborating much. The intelligence chief did not say if New Delhi had been called upon by Washington to shelve the acquisition of the Russian air defense system.
However, the allegations correspond with Donald Trump taking a hostile approach towards India for buying Russian energy and arms, and fuelling the Russian war against Ukraine. Trump, who was until recently calling India a friend, went so far as to call India a “dead economy” and imposed an additional 25% tariff as a punitive measure.
The US had earlier exempted India from sanctions under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) over its acquisition of S-400 in 2018. However, a lot has changed since then, and Trump has expressed his frustration with the unending Ukraine War on multiple occasions in recent months.
The Indian military is highly impressed by the S-400, called ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ within the country, and has repeatedly urged Russia to expedite the delivery amid mounting security threats at its northern and western borders. The delivery of the two remaining squadrons is to be completed by 2027, as recently assured by the Russian side.
So far, India has not hinted whether it faces any pressure from the US to abandon the acquisition of the S-400 air defense system, which played a crucial role in the latest Indo-Pakistan conflict.
On the contrary, reports in the Indian media claim that the country may have paused key military deals with the US, including for additional P-8I Poseidon aircraft, Stryker Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
Russia is the largest defense supplier to India, despite a general fall in arms exports. It has been pushing the joint production of Su-57 stealth fighters in India.
New Delhi has not accepted the offer so far, perhaps due to concerns regarding the aircraft’s subpar stealth and other features, as noted by the country’s defense community. However, the Indian leadership is also well aware that the decision to acquire or locally produce the Su-57 can backfire and further upset ties with the US.
For Russia, an attempt by Washington to impede exports could come as a massive setback, because its arms exports have already registered a steep fall of about 53% between the periods of 2014–2018 and 2019–2023, as per the latest data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Moreover, there has been a staggering 92% drop from $14.6 billion in exports in 2021 to under $1 billion in 2024, mostly driven by sanctions on the Russian military-industrial complex, production-related issues due to the Ukraine war, and hesitancy in buying Russian arms amid fear of US sanctions.
Given that exports are already at historic lows, ongoing US efforts could compound broader strains on Russia’s economy and military, making the situation increasingly unsustainable.
US Arm-Twisting Countries To Abandon Russian Arms?
By sanctioning NATO member Turkey in 2019 and expelling it from the F-35 program for buying the Russian S-400, Donald Trump set a precedent before the world. The message was clear: face American wrath and sanctions on purchasing Russian equipment.
Several countries that historically bought arms from Russia have since canceled deals with Moscow for fear of being sanctioned by the US, and have been diversifying arms purchases.
According to the Russian Intelligence chief, the United States is currently impeding the implementation of Russian contracts for delivering Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft and Mil Mi-17 helicopters to Indonesia.
The Su-35 deal, initially announced in 2018, entailed Indonesia purchasing 11 Su-35s from Russia for $1.14 billion, with Moscow obligated to accept 50% of the contract value in local commodities, alongside a 35% offset requirement.
However, the deal ultimately failed to materialize due to budgetary constraints exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and apprehensions surrounding potential US sanctions. The enactment of CAATSA had also played a role and intensified Jakarta’s concerns.
Notably, while major arms imports from Russia stalled after Putin seized Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, Indonesia has not eliminated discussions on the possible acquisition of Russian Su-35.
In January 2025, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov stated that the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet deal with Jakarta remained “on the table.” Russia has also apparently offered joint production of Mi-17 helicopters to Indonesia, which also remains under consideration.
In June this year, the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped the G7 summit in Canada and instead visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin. Subianto met Russian counterpart Putin and hailed growing ties with Moscow—a move that may have rattled the United States, as previously highlighted by the EurAsian Times.
The US has offered an F-15EX to Jakarta, and a purchase of Su-35 by Russia may come at the F-15EX’s expense.
This is not the first time that the US has influenced a country’s decision to buy Russian Su-35, a combat-proven air superiority platform. Earlier, Egypt was coerced into abandoning its purchase of 24 Su-35s due to fear of sanctions from the US, which happens to be its biggest benefactor.
The Philippines, on the other hand, had signed a deal for 16 Mi-171 helicopters in 2021 under former President Rodrigo Duterte. However, the deal was canceled in 2022 due to concerns over potential US sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the impending fear of being slapped with CAATSA.
The Philippines has since focused attention on the American-origin Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters as an alternative to meet its needs amid a rapidly increasing Chinese threat.
Similarly, Vietnam, being a socialist state, traditionally purchased military equipment from the former Soviet Union, which later paved the way for the purchase of Russian arms.
The Vietnamese Air Force is currently composed of vintage Sukhoi Su-22s, MiG-21, Su-27, and more sophisticated Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets. It also acquired the Yak-130 jet trainers in 2019. However, after the US issued CAATSA threats, Vietnam deferred negotiations for additional systems around that time.
Earlier this year, Hanoi and Moscow vowed to enhance defence and security cooperation and committed to deeper ties in military-technical collaboration and efforts to address non-traditional security challenges such as cyber threats and high-tech crime. This cooperation is allegedly being disrupted by the US.
Vietnam has recently switched to exploring diversification of its arms purchases, amid a rapidly evolving geopolitical situation. There is speculation that Vietnam is seriously considering the purchase of about two dozen F-16 fighters from the United States.
If Vietnam goes ahead with the F-16 deal, it could lay the path for the US to tighten its grip on the Indo-Pacific and become its defining partner. It would also mean the end of Russia’s decades-old defense relationship with Hanoi.
Earlier, a 2021 RAND report analyzed 65 cases of Russian arms export negotiations across 33 countries from July 2017 to May 2021. It found that US diplomatic engagement and the threat of CAATSA sanctions created a “chilling effect,” leading several countries to reconsider or cancel deals.
For the US, countries abandoning Russian arms might serve a dual purpose: dealing a blow to the Russian economy and influence globally, and bolstering its own arms sales as it swoops in with American alternatives.
On its part, Russia has been pushing its arms for exports in African and Latin American markets in recent times. However, the United States could easily turn the tide in its favor by threatening sanctions and imposing heavy tariffs.
