NEWSLINK: US Senate forbids Pentagon to cooperate with Rosoboronexport

[U.S. Senate forbids Pentagon to cooperate with Rosoboronexport – ITAR-TASS – RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/587557.html]

Itar-Tass reports on U.S. Senate approval of sanctions against Russia for supplying weapons to Syria, in the form of a prohibition on the U.S. Department of Defence buying weapons from Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Meanwhile, Russia argues that it is providing only contractually-based repairs of existing equipment. Some Russian sources are trying to lobby President Barack Obama to veto the legislation.

Itar-Tass suggests that the NATO campaign in Afghanistan could be impacted:

Experts interviewed by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper are convinced the decision of the U.S. senators may inflict not only political, but also direct material damage to military cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

The Novye Izvestia daily emphasises that as a result of the ban, Pentagon’s purchases of the Russian Mi-17 combat helicopters for Afghanistan worth about 1 billion dollars could be put at risk.

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