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India reserves right to deter cross-border terrorism: Rajnath to US
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday that India has the right to defend itself against terrorism and to act pre-emptively to stop any future cross-border attacks from Pakistan. His comments come just days after US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir during his visit to the White House.
'The Defence Minister appreciated the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism,' the defence ministry said in a statement.
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Glad to speak with the US @SecDef Mr. @PeteHegseth today. Excellent discussion to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building.
Conveyed my deep appreciation for the unwavering support… — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 1, 2025
This was the third phone conversation between Singh and Hegseth since Hegseth assumed office in President Trump's second term.
Singh said India's actions against threats from Pakistan have been measured, non-escalatory, and focused on disabling terrorist infrastructure.
During their call, the two leaders discussed strengthening long-term defence cooperation, including military training, joint exercises, and expanding defence industry collaboration. They agreed to deepen cooperation across areas such as interoperability, supply chain integration, logistics sharing, and working with other like-minded partners.
Singh also praised Hegseth's leadership, which he said has advanced defence ties between India and the US.
Additionally, Singh urged the US to speed up deliveries of GE F404 engines for India's LCA Tejas fighter jets and Apache helicopters.
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