TSAMTO, September 2. The United States urges its allies to avoid major deals with Russia in the defense sphere, a State Department representative told RIA Novosti, commenting on the signing of an agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
"We continue to urge all our partners and allies to avoid major new deals with the Russian defense sector, which we made clear with the help of the law on Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions (CAATSA)," the agency's interlocutor said.
The law gives the US administration the right to apply sanctions to punish purchases of Russian weapons by foreign states, as was the case with Turkey, which acquired S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, the agency recalls.
The representative of the State Department noted that Washington has seen reports that Saudi Arabia and Russia have signed an agreement on military cooperation. The document was signed last week by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and his Saudi counterpart Prince Khaled bin Salman.
The American diplomat said that the United States and Saudi Arabia are still bound by a " close and strong partnership in the field of security."
"We maintain a regular dialogue with Saudi Arabia in the development of our commitment to assist in ensuring the defense of the kingdom," the source added.
