NEW DELHI: India-US ties suffered another setback when US included the names of 19 Indian companies and two Indian nationals on a list of nearly 400 such names.The sanctions have been made on companies that the US alleges have been aiding Russia in their war against Ukraine.This comes a few weeks after US named an Indian official in his alleged role of masterminding a foiled murder-for-hire of Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Ties between India and US are a bit strained already, the sanctions are likely to further strain relations between the nations.Meanwhile, after announcing the names of 400 sanctioned companies, individuals on Wednesday, the US State department said these sanctions were linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Apart from India the countries that have been sanctioned include those from Malaysia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Singapore and UAE.The India based companies that have been named include Ascend Aviation India Private Limited who the US State Department alleges sent over 700 shipments to Russia-based companies between March 2023-March 2024.”These shipments included over USD 200,000 worth of CHPL (Common High Priority List) items such as US origin aircraft components,’’ said the US State Department.The two Indian nationals that they have named include two co-directors of Ascend Aviation -Vivek Kumar Mishra and Sudhir Kumar.The other Indian companies in the list include- Mask Trans, TSMD Global, Elektron Komponent and Futrevo.The US State Department says that the sanctions will disrupt evasion and target entitites in multiple countries including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and UAE (apart from India) for selling `items and other important dual-use goods to Russia which includes components that Russia needs for its weapons to wage war against Ukraine.The products that these sanctioned companies are manufacturing include microelectronics and computer numerical control items (CNC) on the CHPL, as identified by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) alongside the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), and Japan.”The US will continue to use all tools at its disposal to disrupt support for Russia’s military-industrial base and curtail the Kremlin’s ability to exploit the international financial system and generate revenue in furtherance of its war against Ukraine. The State Department seeks to disrupt the networks and channels through which Russia procures technology and equipment from entities in third countries to support its war effort,” the US State Department said.
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