Several of the countries want to avoid regulatory hurdles that come with dealing with the U.S., according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Source: Countries interested in buying Russian missile system despite US sanction threats
One of the people, who declined to be named, said that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Vietnam, and Iraq have all discussed buying the S-400 missile system from Russia. However, the U.S. expects that a handful of countries will fold to diplomatic pressure.
China, India and Turkey have already signed purchase agreements with the Kremlin. China, which is embroiled in a trade battle with the U.S., is in the middle of receiving their final shipment of the S-400 system.
“Russia appears to be using air defense sales within much bigger political and economic frameworks,” Karako said. “In some cases, the purchase of S-400 looks a bit like what the ancient Romans called tribute.”
