New Delhi, June 5: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that India has made it clear to the US that its relationship with Russia is lasting and the dynamics of Indo-US ties cannot influence it.

"I like to make it clear here that in all our engagements with the US, we have very clearly explained how India and Russia's defence cooperation has been going on for a very long time," Sitharaman said in response to a media query pertaining to the US advising India to not go ahead with purchasing S-400 anti-missile system from Russia. 

"It's a time tested relationship and India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia. Assets, spares, servicing, we have a continuous relationship with Russia," she added. 

She said the US sanctions against Russia would not be impacting "this particular characteristic of India-Russia defence cooperation". 

She said that negotiations with Russia for S-400 were in the final stage.

"The S-400 deal has been on for a very long time and we have reached the final stage negotiations. That explains it all," Sitharaman said on whether India would still go ahead with the deal with Russia.

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Bengaluru: BJP MLA Muniratna has been arrested once again, this time in connection with a rape case.

After being held in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara Jail over a caste slur case, he was released on conditional bail just yesterday.

Reports suggest that Muniratna’s lawyer submitted the bail order to the jail authorities, and shortly after the formalities were completed, officers from Kaggalipura Police Station in Ramnagar district took him into custody.

The Ramnagar police had been stationed near the jail since Thursday night, awaiting his release in order to arrest him.

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