India’s aspiration to acquire a fifth-generation fighter jet from Russia to match the capabilities of China and Pakistan hinges on a geopolitical decision: whether New Delhi is prepared to overlook US and European sanctions against Moscow.The Sukhoi-57, a fifth-generation Russian jet, is the choice of the Indian Air Force as a ‘stopgap’ measure till India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), becomes operational in a decade. The IAF and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), in the past 6-8 months, have discussed acquiring 80-100 Sukhoi-57 fighter jets, sources said adding that a decision has not been made so far.Earlier, this week, the US Senate passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, by an overwhelming 86-12 vote, permitting the imposition of 100 per cent tariff against nations which buy Russian energy or its military equipment. The Act can now proceed to the House of Representatives for further deliberation.If India goes ahead to procure the Sukhoi-57, it will not be the first time it would be defying sanctions imposed by the US. In October 2018, India ignored US threats and went ahead with the purchase of S-400 air defence missile system from Russia. In June that year – Donald Trump was serving his first term as President — the US had passed Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that required imposing curbs on nations that have “significant” defence relations with Russia.India has long maintained its ties with Russia, which are based on ‘national priorities’. On fresh US sanctions, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said: “We are monitoring the situation. Our position is predicated on our national priorities. We remain engaged with relevant stakeholders in the US at various levels on this matter”.A source told the Tribune, sanctions on Russia don’t impact a decision to procure the Sukhoi-57. “If Russia can supply the jets and the plane is selected, a way can be found to procure them”, the source added.New Delhi’s decision on the 5th generation jet has been in focus since China has operational fifth-generation jets, the J-20 and the J-35. It has promised to give the same to Pakistan. It was the first major assurance Beijing announced for Islamabad following the India-Pakistan skirmish during Operation Sindoor in May last year.According to the US Congress, since 2008, 59 per cent of India’s defence imports have come from Russia. France, the US and Israel follow with 12 per cent, 10 per cent and 9.5 per cent, respectively.For the IAF,  the Sukhoi-57 would also offer maintenance commonality with the Sukhoi-30MKI – some 270 of these are in the IAF fleet. A Russian delegation from the Sukhoi Design Bureau recently assessed HAL’s key facilities — including the Nashik division (final assembly for Sukhoi-30MKI), Koraput (engine production), and Kasaragod (avionics) — and shared a report confirming HAL’s readiness for full-scale production, if India accepts Russia’s proposal for local production of the aircraft.HAL has prepared its own detailed analysis of investments needed in infrastructure, technology upgrades, R&D, human resources, and supply chain enhancements to enable local production if the MoD approves the Sukhoi-57 programme.A fifth-generation aircraft is defined by its capabilities that allow the pilot to maintain decision superiority over an adversary. Onboard sensors and stealth technology make it tough for enemy radars to track a fifth-generation plane that is backed by millions of software code.The classification of a generational shift occurs when a technological innovation cannot be incorporated into an existing aircraft through upgrades and retrospective fit-outs.