NEW DELHI: Amid escalating tensions between the US and India over President Donald Trump's imposition of sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian goods, the Ministry of Defence on Friday denied a news report claiming that New Delhi is mulling pausing its arms purchases from Washington.
A Reuters report on Friday claimed that India has put on hold its plans to procure new US-made weapons and aircraft.
"The news reports on India pausing the talks related to defence purchases with the US are false and fabricated. It is clarified that the various cases of procurement are being progressed as per the extant procedures," Defence Ministry sources said.
Ongoing defence talks between India and the US include potential deals for Stryker combat vehicles and Javelin anti-tank missiles. Negotiations are also underway for the purchase of six Boeing P-8I reconnaissance aircraft and related support systems for the Indian Navy.
The Reuters report claimed that the Indian government has cancelled a planned visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington, during which he was to announce some of the purchases.
Interestingly, another news report that emerged last week claimed that India had rejected a US offer to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, purportedly in retaliation to Trump's threat to impose a 25% tariff. In reality, as sources confirmed, no such proposal was rejected because no formal process to procure the fifth-generation aircraft had ever been initiated."
Tensions have been brewing between New Delhi and Washington since August 6, when Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil. According to Trump, these purchases amounted to funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His decision raised the total duty on Indian exports to 50 per cent — one of the highest imposed on any US trading partner.