India has reportedly paused its plans to buy US weapons as ties between Washington and New Delhi reached a new low.
US President Donald Trump had previously slammed India’s purchase of Russian weapons and oil before blindsiding India with an additional 25% duty on all imports on Tuesday, bringing the total to 50% – one of the highest of all nations.
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Reuters, citing Indian officials “familiar with the matter,” said an upcoming trip by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington DC to announce new weapon purchases has been canceled following the latest row.
The outlet reported that India had aimed to purchase Stryker combat vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems and Javelin anti-tank missiles developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
Six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft and support systems for the Indian Navy, priced at $3.6 billion, were also among the now-halted plans, two officials said.
But one official told Reuters that talks are still in place to resolve the dispute, adding that the purchase of US arms might go ahead after clarification on the tariff regime, “just not as soon as they were expected to.”
Another official told Reuters that there is “no forward movement at least for now.”
However, two other officials also told Reuters that New Delhi has no plans to buy new Russian weapons despite Moscow’s active pitches.
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As New Delhi and Washington clash over the tariffs, the former also dispatched its national security advisor, Ajit Doval, to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in person this week, though the content of their conversation has not been made public.
While India has become a major Russian oil buyer following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions – which New Delhi benefited from by reselling the crude as refined products – its weapon ties with Moscow date back to the days of the Soviet Union.
According to a 2024 Deutsche Welle (DW) report, Moscow had supplied 65% of India’s weapons purchases over the past two decades, valued at more than $60 billion.
The systems purchased ranged from Russia’s AK-203 assault rifles to a few hundred Russian-designed Su-30 MKI multirole fighter aircraft, as noted by War on the Rocks.
India had also partnered with Russia on Moscow’s stealth Su-57 fighters but withdrew due to the aircraft’s poor performance during development.
India has also diversified its arms procurement in recent years, including the acquisition of French Dassault Rafale multirole fighters.
Some believe that the recent downing of an Indian Rafale during clashes with Pakistan – facing off against Chinese fighter aircraft – has prompted New Delhi to reconsider its arms procurement plans.
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