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India’s top brass dismisses reports of pausing plans to buy US weapons

As a high-placed official of the Indian Defense Ministry stated, the information reported by the Reuters news agency that India is pausing plans to purchase US arms is false and fabricated

NEW DELHI, August 8. /TASS/. India’s Defense Ministry came up with a statement on Friday, dismissing the reports that the South Asian republic was pausing plans to buy US arms.

As a high-placed official of the Indian Defense Ministry stated, the information reported by the Reuters news agency that India is pausing plans to purchase US arms is false and fabricated.

Reuters reported earlier on Friday, citing sources that India had paused plans to buy weapons from the United States due to high import tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on the republic. Specifically, discussions on purchases of Stryker combat vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems and Javelin antitank missiles jointly developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin had been put on hold.

According to the news agency, India had been planning to send Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington for an announcement on some of the purchases in the coming weeks but cancelled that trip. Singh also intended to announce the procurement of six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft and support systems for the Indian Navy.

In February, Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans for more arms purchases and agreed to jointly produce a number of defense items.

On August 6, the United States slapped an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total levies against the South Asian republic to 50%. The Indian Foreign Ministry criticized the measure as unjust.

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