Will India buy F-35 fighter jets from US? The government says…
Congress MP Balwant Baswant Wankhade from Maharashtra had sought answers to 3 questions from the Ministry of External Affairs in the Lok Sabha. One of which was on the purchase of F-35. The Ministry of External Affairs has written in response, 'After the Prime Minister's meeting with US President Donald Trump on 13 February 2025, the India-US Joint Statement stated that the US will review its policy on issuing fifth-generation fighter aircraft (such as F-35) and undersea systems to India. There has been no formal discussion on this issue yet.' What is India's stand on purchasing F-35 stealth fighter jet and 25% tariff?
India's Foreign Ministry has given this information at a time when a day earlier Bloomberg published a report that India has informed the US that it is not interested in buying the F-35 stealth fighter jet. US President Donald Trump has already imposed a 25 percent tariff on India. In such a situation, India is taking cautious and practical steps keeping its economic interests in mind.
Bloomberg has published a report quoting people familiar with the matter that India will not engage in retaliatory action against this huge tariff of 25 percent. According to the report, India is considering options to pacify the White House, which also includes promoting American imports. What is the option for India?
These sources said that India is considering increasing the purchase of natural gas from the US and increasing the import of communication equipment and gold. They said that promoting these purchases could help reduce India's trade surplus (trade deficit in favour of America) with the US in the next three to four years. They said, no defense purchases are being planned. Will India buy F-35 from America?
According to a Bloomberg report, although the Indian government is considering promoting the purchase of American goods, it is unlikely to buy additional defence equipment from the US. This is a major demand put forward by Trump. According to the report, officials familiar with the matter have said this on the condition of anonymity.
They said, India has informed the US that it is not interested in buying the F-35 stealth fighter aircraft. During PM Narendra Modi's visit to the White House in February, Trump had offered to sell expensive fighter jets to India. However, officials said that the Modi government is more interested in a partnership to jointly design and manufacture defence equipment domestically.
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