The central government on Friday informed the Parliament that no discussion has been made with the United States (US) over the procurement of F-35 fighter jets. In a written reply to Congress MP Balwant Baswant Wankhade, Union Minister of State for External Affairs said that India has not held a "formal discussion" with the US over this issue yet.
Wankhade, Congress MP from Amravati, had asked whether the US has made a formal proposal to India for the sale of F-35 fighter jets, which is a fifth-generation stealth aircraft.
"The India-US Joint Statement following the meeting of Prime Minister with U.S. President Donald Trump on 13th February 2025 mentions that the U.S. will undertake a review of its policy on releasing fifth-generation fighters (such as the F-35) and undersea systems to India. No formal discussions have been held as yet on this issue," he said.
Earlier in the day, a Bloomberg report claimed that India turned down the US's offer to purchase F-35 fighter jets, following Donald Trump's decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on New Delhi. The report claimed that India has "conveyed its lack of interest" in procuring the stealth aircraft.
Trump, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in February this year, had offered to sell India the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets.
India, US ties hit by Trump's tariffs
While imposing 25 per cent tariffs on India, Trump had criticised New Delhi for its closeness with Moscow, especially the former's decision to buy Russian oil. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also said that he does not care about India and Russia, and the two sides "can take their dead economies down together".
"We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," Trump had said. "Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together."
India to protect its national interests
Meanwhile, India has said that it will take all necessary steps to protect its national interest. Speaking in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Union Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the central government is also examining the implications of the 25 per cent tariffs imposed by the US.
In his remarks, he also informed the Parliament that India is on the verge of becoming the third-largest global economy and is contributing to nearly 16 per cent of the global growth. "In just over a decade, India has rapidly transformed from being one of the Fragile 5 to the fastest-growing major economy in the world. We have risen from the 11th largest economy to one of the top 5 economies, driven by our reforms, the hard work of our farmers, MSMEs and entrepreneurs," he said.
