US seeks to boost arms sales to India after sanctions hit Russian defence exports

The US hopes to take advantage of its newly imposed sanctions against Moscow to lure India away from Russian weapons and increase American arms sales to its ally, a State Department official told Congress on Wednesday.

Assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Donald Lu floated the idea while testifying before the Senate, as senators expressed disappointment over India abstaining from a UN resolution condemning Russia over the Ukraine incursion.

Mr Lu said the new international restrictions on Russia’s financial sector would restrict India’s ability to continue buying the country's defence equipment on which it has long relied.

“If you don’t have a banking system, it’s very hard for other countries to pay millions of dollars in roubles or in yen or in euros to pay for these defence systems,” Mr Lu said.

“Many countries that have these legacy Russian systems will be worried.”

He said the sanctions would provide “an opportunity” for the US and other countries that export advanced military technology “to go after new markets to make sure we’re not only selling the high end, we’re selling the middle and low end as well".

“If I was a consumer right now of Russian technology, I would want to make sure that I have diversity, because we will see a problem for Russia’s customers in securing reliable supplies,” said Mr Lu.

Mr Lu said that over the past few weeks India has cancelled defence imports from Russia, including orders for the MiG-29 fighter jet and weapons systems.

Like other countries, India has come under US scrutiny for buying the Russian S-400 missile defence system, raising questions as to whether it runs afoul of a Russia sanctions law that Congress passed in 2017.

Several senators said it was important to maintain a robust Indian military as a bulwark against rival China.

But they expressed dismay at India’s abstention on Wednesday over the UN resolution condemning Russia for the Ukraine incursion.

“Many of my colleagues and I are puzzled by India’s equivocation in the face of the biggest threat to democracy since World War Two,” said Democrat Chris Murphy, chairman of the Senate’s South Asia panel.

“We hope that India soon will get on the right side of history.”

Democrat Chris Van Hollen also expressed “extreme disappointment” in India’s abstention.

Mr Lu acknowledged India’s stated position of abstaining from the vote to remain neutral and work towards a diplomatic solution between Russia and Ukraine.

“We have seen them make the right phone calls that suggest they’re serious about that,” Mr Lu said. “Unfortunately, they have not yet been effective.”

Spectators watch a MiG-29 jet fighter aircraft carrying out a demonstration during Nato Days in Ostrava, Czech Republic. EPA

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Ten years on, the UAE's stateless people reflect on how life has improved and on the challenges ahead

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Monster

Directed by: Anthony Mandler

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington

3/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”