Tuesday, 26 August, 2025
The Indian Defence Ministry has denied a news report claiming that India plans to pause its arms purchases from the United States after US President Donald Trump announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
A Reuters news report claimed that India has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India's first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades.
"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, according to NDTV of India.
According to Reuters, the purchases, which were to be announced during defence minister Rajnath Singh’s planned visit to Washington, included Stryker combat vehicles from General Dynamics, Javelin anti-tank missiles from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft for the Indian Navy in a proposed $3.6 billion deal. The visit, Reuters reported, has been cancelled.
The news report also claimed that India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip was cancelled
Trump, on August 6, imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over its purchases of Russian oil, taking total duties to 50%, among the highest for any US trading partner.
While Reuters quoted officials saying defence purchases could resume once there is clarity on trade policy and bilateral ties, the government maintained that 'no pause in talks related to buying US arms'. India, the world’s second-largest arms importer, has traditionally sourced weapons from Russia but has in recent years shifted towards suppliers like France, Israel, and the US, Reuters noted.
The US president has a history of rapidly reversing himself on tariffs and India has said it remains actively engaged in discussions with Washington.
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The Indian Defence Ministry has denied a news report claiming that India plans to pause its arms purchases from the United States after US President Donald Trump announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
A Reuters news report claimed that India has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India's first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades.
"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, according to NDTV of India.
According to Reuters, the purchases, which were to be announced during defence minister Rajnath Singh’s planned visit to Washington, included Stryker combat vehicles from General Dynamics, Javelin anti-tank missiles from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft for the Indian Navy in a proposed $3.6 billion deal. The visit, Reuters reported, has been cancelled.
The news report also claimed that India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip was cancelled
Trump, on August 6, imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over its purchases of Russian oil, taking total duties to 50%, among the highest for any US trading partner.
While Reuters quoted officials saying defence purchases could resume once there is clarity on trade policy and bilateral ties, the government maintained that 'no pause in talks related to buying US arms'. India, the world’s second-largest arms importer, has traditionally sourced weapons from Russia but has in recent years shifted towards suppliers like France, Israel, and the US, Reuters noted.
The US president has a history of rapidly reversing himself on tariffs and India has said it remains actively engaged in discussions with Washington.
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