India has decided to suspend the acquisition of new weapons and US aircraft in response to 50% rates announced by President Donald Trump this week, according to the agency Reuters.
Nova Delhi planned to send defense minister Rajnath Singh to the White House in the coming weeks to announce some of the purchases, however due to the measure of the United States, the trip was canceled, two sources familiar with the matter reported.
One of the sources told the Reuters that purchases of defense equipment could proceed as soon as India had clarity on the application of tariffs and the direction of bilateral relations. However, the Asian country did not foresee that the measure would come into force anytime soon.
Initially, Trump imposed 25% rates for India imported products. This week, the Republican doubled the charges due to Nova Delhi’s relations with Russia, something he had previously promised.
After the publication of the report, the Reuters He reported that the Indian government issued a statement, attributed to a source from the Ministry of Defense, describing the news about a possible break in negotiations with the US as “false and manufactured”. The statement also said that the acquisition of the equipment was progressing according to the “current procedures”.
