India's reluctance to buy US fighter jets, diplomatic tensions!

India has shown reluctance to buy the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets from the US. Recently, international media outlet Bloomberg quoted a US official as saying that New Delhi has taken such a decision in the context of ongoing tariffs and geopolitical tensions with Washington.

The report said that the 25 percent import duty imposed by the US has had a major impact on India's relationship with the Trump administration. Although negotiations are ongoing, India's interest in purchasing military equipment has significantly decreased.

During his visit to the US in February this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Donald Trump. Trump offered India to buy F-35 fighter jets at the meeting. At that time, defense and trade cooperation were discussed in a warm diplomatic atmosphere. However, since then, relations between the two countries have cooled.

The Trump administration's imposition of high tariffs on Indian products, criticism of India on social media, and US warnings about India's military and energy purchases from Russia have all created new tensions.

In this situation, India has informed the United States that it is not interested in buying the F-35 fighter jet. In a statement given to Bloomberg, an anonymous US official said, “India has informed that it will not buy the F-35. There is uncertainty about buying defense equipment even in the future.”

The official added that India originally wanted to participate in the design and production of the fighter jets instead of buying them. However, in the current diplomatic environment, that too has become uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Hindustan Times reported that an F-35 fighter jet from the US ‘Rough Raiders’ squadron recently crashed in California. The cause of the July 31 crash is still under investigation.

Even if it does not buy the fighter jets, India is planning to increase imports of natural gas, gold and communication equipment from the United States. According to analysts, India’s move not only sends a diplomatic message, but also carries a promise to build self-reliance in the defense sector.

Source: Bloomberg and Hindustan Times