India-US defence talks: India has said that the news about stopping defence talks with the United States is not true at all. This came after many media reports claimed that New Delhi had paused its plans to buy weapons and aircraft from the US. The Ministry of Defence clearly said that these reports are “false and fabricated” and added that all the defence deals are moving ahead as per the usual process. They also said there is no change in the discussions about buying arms from America.
The reports came during a time when India and the US are having some trouble in their trade relationship. On August 6, US President Donald Trump added more taxes on Indian goods. He increased tariffs by another 25%, saying that India is helping Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying oil from them. With this move, the total tax on Indian goods reached 50%, which is now one of the highest compared to other countries that trade with America.
Astra Wins ₹1.35 Billion Radar Upgrade Contract From DRDO
Some reports, including one from Reuters, said that India had decided to delay some big arms purchases from the US. They said that India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh was supposed to visit Washington to announce these deals, but that visit has been cancelled.
According to those reports, India was planning to buy Stryker combat vehicles from General Dynamics, Javelin anti-tank missiles from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and six P8I surveillance aircraft from Boeing. These deals were expected to cost around $3.6 billion. The reports also said the talks might restart later, after things become more clear between both governments.
India’s defence choices
India has been one of the biggest arms buyers in the world for a long time. In the past, India used to buy most of its weapons from Russia. But in the last few years, India has started buying more from countries like France, Israel, and the United States. Even though India is still buying oil from Russia, it has also built closer ties with the US when it comes to defence and security. That is why some people were surprised by the media reports that India had paused defence talks because of the new US tariffs.
Ajit Doval in Moscow to Boost India-Russia Defence as Trump Warns of Tariffs
India has however strongly denied this claim. “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,” said the Ministry of Defence in a statement, reported TOI.
